Hapoel Jerusalem Dominates Riga in EuroCup, Secures Top Spot

Hapoel Jerusalem achieved a decisive 100-64 victory over Latvia's VEF Riga in their fourth EuroCup fixture on Wednesday, maintaining their position at the top of their group alongside Aris Thessaloniki. The Israeli team, coached by Saša Obradović, built a nine-point lead by the end of the first quarter and extended it to 14 by halftime. Unlike previous games where the team might have eased up, Jerusalem maintained its intensity throughout the second half, limiting Riga to just 28 points and widening the score.

Coach Obradović praised the team's consistent approach and pace, highlighting it as the key takeaway from the game. "We controlled every aspect of the game, we were very focused and got into a rhythm in the second half, and I am very happy with the overall result, it was an important victory," said player David Roddy, who scored 11 points. Roddy was one of six Jerusalem players to score in double figures, with Kenny Lofton leading with 18 points and Dušan Miletic adding 17 points and 7 rebounds.

"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 in 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," commented Miletic on the team's performance. Devonte' Cacok added, "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 will be fine."

However, point guard Lorenzo Brown struggled, playing only six minutes in the first half with multiple turnovers. In the second half, Obradović opted to play Roi Huber, an Israeli guard from the bench, and commended his performance. The team returns to Israel on Thursday to begin preparations for their Sunday game against Hapoel Tel Aviv, followed by a EuroCup match against third-ranked Le Mans on the following Wednesday.