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 Maxima Rome in a preseason tournament in Italy on Saturday. The Israeli team, coached by Dimitris Itoudis, survived a tense matchup that saw Rome rally multiple times.

Hapoel Tel Aviv started strong, establishing a double-digit lead in the first quarter thanks to solid play from Dan Otero and Ish Wainwright, ending the period up 21-10. Despite an excellent defensive effort early on, Hapoel's intensity waned, allowing Rome to close the gap. However, crucial three-pointers from Zach LeDay and Tomas Satoransky helped Hapoel regain a 45-38 halftime advantage.

The second half saw Hapoel build another lead, reaching 64-54 in the third quarter. Rome, however, refused to quit. With two minutes remaining, John Brown stole the ball and assisted Linton Lamar for a layup, tying the game at 75. After Rome took a brief lead, Ish Wainwright scored a difficult basket to put Hapoel back ahead.

In the final seconds, Lamar made a driving layup for Rome, but LeDay responded by making two free throws to give Hapoel a two-point lead with about ten seconds left. Rome had a final opportunity to tie the game, but Brown missed an easy shot at the buzzer, securing the narrow victory for Hapoel Tel Aviv.

Ish Wainwright led Hapoel with 14 points, followed by Antonio Blakeney and Dan Otero with 10 each. Zach LeDay added 9 points.