Hapoel Herzliya Seeks First Champions League Win Against Bonn

Hapoel Herzliya is set to face German club Bonn on Wednesday in their third game of the FIBA Champions League group stage. The Israeli team is looking for their first victory in the campaign, having lost their opening two matches to Badalona and Porto. The game will be held at the Telekom Dome, which will also host the return fixture in less than two weeks.

Hertzliya enters the match following a 97-87 road loss to Ironi Kiryat Ata in their domestic league, where they currently hold a 2-2 record. In their last European outing, Herzliya lost to Porto 86-74 in Samokov, despite a significant comeback from a 20-point deficit. DJ Bruton was Herzliya's top scorer in that game with 24 points.

Bonn arrives with a 1-1 record in the Champions League. They began with a 78-74 home win over Porto but narrowly lost their second game 76-74 in Badalona after a last-second three-pointer missed. Jeff Garrett led Bonn with 17 points in that game, with Marcus Foster adding 14 and Joelle Aminu scoring 13. In the German league, Bonn has a 4-3 record and is undefeated at home. They recently defeated Alba Berlin 95-88, with John-Michael Wright scoring 22 points.

Bonn's roster includes key players like Jeff Garrett, Joelle Aminu, and Marcus Foster. The team also features forwards Michael Kessens and Leon Kratzer, who were part of Bonn's 2023 Champions League victory, the first for a German club in the tournament. In that final, Bonn defeated Hapoel Jerusalem 77-70 in Malaga, with TJ Shorts scoring 29 points. Bonn has also faced Israeli teams Hapoel Holon and Maccabi Ramat Gan in previous Champions League group stages.

"We are coming into a difficult away game against a quality team," said Herzliya coach Yoav Orrland. "In the first two games in Europe, we had good moments, but to win at this level, we need to maintain concentration and stability for the entire game." Herzliya player Zach Bryant added, "We want to get our first win in Europe and know how important this game is for the rest of the journey. Bonn is a good team with a strong home crowd, and we will need to play together and be ready from the first moment."