Hapoel Tel Aviv Secures Thrilling Preseason Victory Over Rome

Hapoel Tel Aviv continued their preparations for the 2026-2027 season with a narrow 80-78 victory over Maximah Rome in a closely contested preseason tournament game in Italy on Saturday. The team, coached by Dimitris Itoudis, secured the win after a dramatic finish.

Hapoel Tel Aviv started strong, establishing an early double-digit lead in the first quarter, ending it at 21-10, thanks to solid play from Dan O'Rourke and J'Covan Brown. While their defense was effective early on, Rome managed to close the gap in the second quarter. However, crucial three-pointers from Zach LeDay and Thomas Satoransky helped Hapoel regain momentum, leading 45-38 at halftime.

The Israeli team extended their lead to 64-54 in the third quarter, but Rome once again fought back. The game reached a fever pitch in the final minutes. With two minutes remaining, John Brown of Rome stole the ball and assisted Brynton Lemar for a layup that tied the score at 75. After Rome briefly took the lead, J'Covan Brown hit a difficult shot to put Hapoel back ahead. Lemar scored again, but LeDay sealed the win with two free throws, giving Hapoel a two-point lead with ten seconds left. Rome 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.