Hapoel Jerusalem Dominates Riga in EuroCup, Improves to 4-0

Hapoel Jerusalem secured a decisive 100-64 victory over Latvia's VEF Riga on Wednesday, maintaining their top position in their EuroCup group. The team, coached by Saša Obradović, extended their winning streak to four games in the competition, currently tied with Aris Thessaloniki. Unlike previous matches where the team might have eased up in the second half, Jerusalem maintained its intensity throughout the game, limiting Riga to just 28 points in the second half and widening the lead.

Obradović praised his team's consistent approach and pace, highlighting it as the key takeaway from the game. "We controlled every aspect of the game, were very focused, and found our rhythm in the second half," said player David Roddy, who scored 11 points. "I'm very happy with the overall result, it was an important win."

Six Jerusalem players scored in double figures, led by Kenny Lofton with 18 points and Dušan Miletic with 17 points and 7 rebounds. Miletic attributed the success to strong ball movement on offense and effective defense, emphasizing the team's physicality and mutual support. "I think the ball movement on offense, and I would say the defense, because we combined physicality and body and helped each other. I believe it gave momentum to the offense, and on offense we shared the ball pretty well and executed most of the things, but there is still a lot of room to improve and get better," Miletic stated.

Player DeVante Cokley noted the team's good chemistry, stating, "I feel like we just played well together. We prepared early for this team, and we did pretty much what we needed to do. We need to continue to come with the same mentality, play hard, play together, and play the right way. Because if we do that in every game, we'll be fine."

However, guard Lorenzo Brown struggled, playing only six minutes in the first half with multiple turnovers. Obradović opted to use Roy Huber from the bench in the second half, commending the Israeli guard for his performance. Hapoel Jerusalem will return to Israel to prepare for their upcoming game against Hapoel Tel Aviv on Sunday, followed by a EuroCup matchup against French team Le Mans next Wednesday.