Maccabi Tel Aviv beats Hapoel Jerusalem in Israeli basketball classico

Jerusalem, Feb 17 A crushing third quarter, which included a 20-0 run, gave Israeli EuroLeague team Maccabi Tel Aviv a 90-85 away win over Champions League side Hapoel Jerusalem in the Israeli Super League classico on Friday.

The win raised the Israeli champions to a 9-3 win-loss record in second place, while State Cup holder Jerusalem remained with eight wins from 14 games, reported Xinhua

The first 20 minutes were close, with a 22-20 Jerusalem lead at the end of the first quarter and a 45-45 tie at halftime, in front of a full house of 11,000 fans at the Pais Arena in Jerusalem.

The third quarter opened with a three-pointer by Jerusalem's point guard Speedy Smith. However, Maccabi responded with a 20-0 run, led by big guys Josh Nebo and Roman Sorkin, before storming to 73-57 at the end of the third quarter.

Guard Levi Randolph inspired Jerusalem to perform a 15-2 run, cutting the margin to 80-86 with 46 seconds to the final buzzer, but Maccabi kept the momentum to secure the victory.

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