Hapoel Tel Aviv Secures Narrow Preseason Victory Over Rome
Hapoel Tel Aviv continued their preparations for the 2026/2027 season with a hard-fought 80-78 win against Maximа Roma in a preseason tournament in Italy on Saturday. The Israeli team, coached by Dimitris Itoudis, survived a dramatic encounter to secure the victory.
Hapoel Tel Aviv started strong, establishing a double-digit lead in the first quarter with solid play from Dan O'Rourke and J'Covan Brown, ending the period 21-10. However, their intensity waned in the second quarter, allowing Roma to close the gap. Despite Roma's comeback to within a single point, three-pointers from Zach LeDay and Thomas Satoransky helped Hapoel regain a 45-38 halftime advantage.
The third quarter saw Hapoel extend their lead to 64-54, but Roma once again mounted a challenge. With two minutes remaining, John Brown stole the ball and assisted Brinton Larmar for a layup, tying the game at 75. After Roma briefly took the lead, J'Covan Brown made a difficult shot to put Hapoel back ahead. Larmar scored again, but LeDay sealed the win with two free throws, giving Hapoel a two-point lead with ten seconds left. Roma had a final opportunity to tie the game, but Brown missed a close-range shot at the buzzer.
Top scorers for Hapoel Tel Aviv included J'Covan Brown with 14 points, followed by Antonio Blakeney and Dan O'Rourke with 10 points each. Zach LeDay contributed 9 points.
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