The Israel National Team downed Portugal 84-78 in EuroBasket qualifying action over the weekend to bump its Group A record up to 4-1 in the penultimate round of play taking place in Riga, Latvia, due to the ongoing war in the Holy Land.
On Monday, the blue-and-white will tip off against Slovenia for a chance to finish atop the group after having already qualified for the competition back in the last window of games that took place in November.
Should Ariel Beit Halachmi’s squad win, its odds will increase for an easier draw for this summer’s European Championship which will be played in four countries – Cyprus, Finland, Poland and Latvia – with Riga hosting the final stages of the tournament.
Israel entered the matchup with a fairly young and inexperienced squad after a number of stalwarts backed out with injuries or personal reasons, including Tomer Ginat, Tamir Blatt, Yam Madar, Roman Sorkin and Khadeen Carrington. However, Beit Halachmi’s team included four players who would make their international debut along with some who have only recently been a part of the National Team program along with a few veterans who would anchor the side.
The blue-and-white came out firing on all cylinders as Ben Saraf, Gur Lavi and Itay Segev found points for Beit Halachmi’s team while Miguel Queiroz Travante Williams and Diogo Brito tried to keep the game close for Portugal. But points from acting captain Bar Timor and Rafi Menco gave Israel a 47-32 advantage at halftime.
Williams started to cut into the lead along with Andre Cruz and Rafael Lisboa who narrowed the gap to just four points, but Roi Huber together with Noam Yaacov, Saraf, Menco and Timor found critical baskets down the stretch to close out the win.
Timor led the way with 15 points, Lavi added 14 points, Menco scored 13 points and Huber chipped in with 11 points in the win. Liboa scored 20 points and Williams added 14 points for Portugal in the loss.
Commenting on the victory
Beit Halachmi spoke about the victory.
“I’m very happy with the result and it’s an important win for us. We came here with a young squad, some of whom are playing with the National Team for the first time. We looked much better than I thought because we didn’t have too much time to practice. We played better in the first half and not as well in the second, but we knew how to make the right plays at the end of the game to close out the win.
“Overall, I’m pleased with this game. We played very well together as a team throughout many minutes. We need to continue representing our country with pride and really at a time like this that’s the most important thing that we can do.”
Team veteran Menco shared his thoughts about the game.
“I’m very happy with the result. We have a lot of young players here who are playing for the first time with the senior team, so congratulations to them, but that’s not the story. We as a country are going through some very difficult times and for us players to come and represent the country, especially in these times, is a huge thing.”
Timor, the game’s MVP, also reflected on the win.
“We’re going through a very difficult time as a country. Certainly after what happened on Thursday and we’re still playing far from the country. If people manage to turn on the TV to watch us and disconnect a little bit from reality, then for us that’s the greatest pride.”
This article was originally published at www.jpost.com
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