Maccabi Tel Aviv Loses Preseason Opener to Herzliya After Blowing 17-Point Lead

Maccabi Tel Aviv began their preseason campaign with an 86-84 loss to Bnei Herzliya on Thursday at the Hadar Yosef arena. The team squandered a significant lead, which peaked at 17 points in the first half.

Maccabi, playing with a depleted roster, started strong, finishing the first quarter ahead 23-17. They extended their dominance in the second quarter, building a double-digit lead and heading into halftime with a commanding 53-38 advantage. Key performers for Maccabi in the first half included Kiton Wallace with 14 points, Will Rayman with 8, and Amit Abo, Bonzie Colson, and John DiBartolomeo with 6 each.

Herzliya began to chip away at the deficit in the third quarter, winning it 25-19, but Maccabi still held an eight-point lead entering the final period, 72-63.

The momentum shifted entirely in the fourth quarter, with Herzliya mounting a furious comeback. They erased the deficit and tied the game at 84-84. D.J. Broughton then hit a difficult mid-range shot to put Herzliya up 86-84 with little time remaining. Maccabi called a timeout for the final possession but failed to convert, sealing their defeat after Herzliya outscored them 23-12 in the final quarter.

Wallace led Maccabi with 20 points, while Colson added 15 in his return to the team. Broughton was the top scorer for Herzliya with 16 points. Maccabi's roster was significantly shorthanded due to players participating in national team duties (Roman Sorkin, Yam Madar, Daniel Theis, Iffe Lundberg, Jalen Hudson), an injury to J.J. Clark, and T.J. Leaf and Gur Lavi not yet being fully fit. Several players joined the team for the preseason, including Armando Bacot, Oushe Brister, Sagie Goodes, Nitai Dudu, Brandon Edwards, Tamir Gold, and T.J. Clark.