Israel Basketball Team Falls 101-90 to Georgia in World Cup Warm-Up
The Israeli national basketball team lost 101-90 to Georgia in a preparatory match on Sunday evening ahead of the World Cup qualifiers. The game, held in Georgia, was closely contested, with Israel leading early thanks to strong performances from Roman Sorkin, who scored 25 points, and Yam Madar, who contributed 16 points along with 8 rebounds and 8 assists. Other notable Israeli scorers included Adam Ariel with 15 points and Kadin Carrington with 12.
Georgia, led by stars Goga Bitadze with 22 points, Sandro Mamukelashvili with 20, and Toko Shengelia with 17 points and 9 rebounds, rallied in the second quarter and maintained pressure throughout the game. The match remained tight until the final quarter when Georgia pulled away with a decisive 15-3 run in the closing minutes to secure the victory.
Israeli coach Ariel Beit Halachmi fielded a starting lineup featuring Yam Madar, Kadin Carrington, Guy Peltin, Netanel Artzi, and Roman Sorkin, marking the first time Madar and Tamir Blatt played together since 2022. Georgia’s coach Alexander Džikić also started his top players, including Mamukelashvili, Shengelia, and Bitadze.
Following this warm-up, Israel will focus on the World Cup qualifiers with upcoming matches against Poland on Thursday and Latvia next Sunday. The team aims to build on this experience despite the loss as they prepare for the critical qualification games.
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