Champions League club Hapoel Jerusalem beat EuroLeague side Maccabi Tel Aviv 85-72 in the Israeli State Cup final in front of 11,000 fans at the Menorah Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv on Thursday night. This was Jerusalem's eighth State Cup win, and the second in a row after having beaten Maccabi in last season's final as well. Jerusalem showed strong defense in the first minutes and took a 10-2 lead, but points by Bonzie Colson Jr. (198-PF-1996, college: Notre Dame, agency: Octagon Europe) helped Maccabi lead 23-16 at the end of the first quarter. Maccabi continued their momentum in the second quarter, with points and rebounds by Roman Sorkin (210-F/C-1996, college: Oregon), on the way to a 46-37 lead at halftime. Assists by Speedy Smith and points by Nimrod Levi (208-PF-1995, agency: Avi Zilberman) and JaCorey Williams (203-C-1994, college: MTSU) led Jerusalem to a stunning 31-10 third quarter that completely turned the game around, giving the reds a 68-56 advantage at the end of the third quarter. Smith continued to shine in the decisive quarter, and together with points by Khadeen Carrington (193-SG-1995, college: Seton Hall) and Levi Randolph, Jerusalem secured the win. Williams scored a game-high 21 points for Jerusalem, while Randolph added 17 and Carrington 16. Smith contributed 12 points and 15 assists. Sorkin topped Maccabi scorers with 17 points.
Courtesy of: china.org.cn