Hapoel Tel Aviv Secures Narrow Victory Over Rome in Preseason Tune-Up
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 that went down to the wire.
Hapoel Tel Aviv started strong, establishing an early double-digit lead in the first quarter thanks to solid play from Dan Otero and Ish Wainwright, ending the period up 21-10. Despite a lapse in defensive intensity in the second quarter, allowing Rome to close the gap, Hapoel managed to regain a slight advantage, leading 45-38 at halftime with key three-pointers from Zach LeDay and Tomas Satoransky.
The third quarter saw Hapoel extend their lead to 64-54, but Rome once again mounted a comeback. With two minutes remaining, John Brown stole the ball and assisted Linton Lamar for a layup, tying the game at 75. The lead then shifted to the Italian side before Ish Wainwright scored a crucial basket for Hapoel. After a late drive by Lamar, LeDay sealed the win for Hapoel by making two free throws with ten seconds left.
In the final possession, Rome had a golden opportunity to force overtime, but Brown missed an easy layup at the buzzer, securing the narrow victory for Hapoel Tel Aviv.
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