Hapoel Tel Aviv made history on Tuesday night by defeating FC Barcelona 103-87 in Sofia, Bulgaria, marking its first-ever EuroLeague victory.
Antonio Blakeney came off the bench to lead Hapoel with 20 points. Vasilije Micic and Dan Oturu added 18 apiece, Chris Jones had 12, and Elijah Bryant scored 11.
Barcelona relied on Will Clyburn, who poured in 23 points, while Jan Vesely and Kevin Punter each finished with 13.
The game opened with Hapoel setting the tempo through a Micic three-pointer and a Bryant layup. Clyburn answered with five quick points, but Ish Wainwright and Oturu restored the Israeli side’s edge.
Both teams traded baskets in the opening frame before Blakeney and Nico Laprovittola exchanged three-pointers. A late layup from Jones put Hapoel ahead 23-20, though Barcelona tied it 26-26 at the first break.
In the second quarter, Tomer Ginat and Jones pushed Hapoel ahead with a 9-0 run, forcing a timeout at 35-26. Vesely and Clyburn pulled the visitors closer, but Bryant and Oturu kept Hapoel in control, extending the lead to 49-42. Barcelona trimmed it to 51-45 at halftime.
Oturu and Micic dominated the third quarter, combining for big plays that pushed the margin into double digits. Blakeney drained multiple long-range shots as Hapoel surged to a 77-61 advantage. Barcelona fought back behind Joel Parra and Youssoupha Fall, but Jones’s three-pointer secured an 82-70 cushion after three periods.
In the final quarter, Micic and Blakeney put the game out of reach with back-to-back baskets, stretching the lead to 90-74. Punter and Vesely tried to rally Barcelona, but Jones and Micic closed the door. The Serbian guard’s step-back triple in the final minutes sealed a landmark win.
Hapoel shot 61 percent inside the arc and 54 percent from three-point range, finishing with 19 assists against only 12 turnovers. Blakeney’s perfect 11-for-11 free throw shooting also proved key.
Barcelona struggled to contain Hapoel’s offensive rhythm, despite hitting 40 percent from deep and 57 percent on two-pointers. The Spanish side was undone by turnovers and inconsistent defense.
