Elijah Bryant sparked a late surge as Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv overcame Virtus Bologna 79–74 on Friday at Virtus Arena.
Bryant scored 14 of his game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter, hitting a step-back jumper and a coast-to-coast layup to pull Hapoel within reach before sealing the victory with a contested jumper.
Dan Oturu anchored Hapoel’s frontcourt with 21 points and 10 rebounds, recording his first EuroLeague double-double, while Chris Jones and Antonio Blakeney added 11 combined points in the decisive final six minutes.
Virtus struggled despite Matt Morgan’s 21 points in 21 minutes and an earlier six-minute 11-point burst, while Carsen Edwards managed just 2 points on 1-of-11 shooting, limiting the home side’s offensive efficiency.
Hapoel trailed 55–46 late in the third quarter but capitalized on defensive stops and offensive rebounds to turn the game around, out-rebounding Virtus 16–12 in the second half.
The victory improved Hapoel to 11–4, maintaining its position atop the EuroLeague standings, while Virtus dropped to 7–8 and will look to rebound in Serbia against Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade on Wednesday.
Hapoel will host Crvena Zvezda at Pais Arena Jerusalem next, before traveling to Athens to face Panathinaikos AKTOR, continuing their pursuit of a 12th win.
