Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz kept its late-season surge rolling Tuesday night, erasing a 15-point deficit and beating Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv 101-98 at Buesa Arena. The result gave Baskonia its third straight upset win and moved the club to 12-24.
The game looked headed Maccabi’s way early. Lonnie Walker IV caught fire from deep in the opening quarter, and the visitors took an eight-point lead after 10 minutes before carrying a 50-41 advantage into halftime.
Baskonia flipped the script immediately after the break. Paolo Galbiati’s team came out with much more pace and pressure, then exploded for a club-record 40 points in the third quarter to seize a 12-point lead heading into the final frame.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot led the charge with 21 points, three rebounds and two assists, and he delivered the biggest shots when the game tightened late. His turnaround jumper and free throws in the closing stretch helped Baskonia survive Maccabi’s final push.
Trent Forrest added 19 points and four assists, while Mamadi Diakite, Markquis Nowell and Gytis Radzevicius also reached double figures. Baskonia’s offense worked best when it pushed the ball early and forced Maccabi to defend in space.
The numbers reflected that rhythm. Baskonia finished with 24 assists and 13 made three-pointers, while also scoring 18 of 21 from the free-throw line and holding enough composure to close the game after Maccabi trimmed the margin late.
Maccabi got huge scoring nights from Walker, who finished with 23 points, and Jeff Dowtin Jr. and Roman Sorkin, who added 26 and 22 points respectively. Jaylen Hoard chipped in 14, but the visitors could not recover from Baskonia’s third-quarter burst.
Baskonia now hosts Kosner Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz on April 10 before traveling to Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv in Belgrade on April 16. Maccabi’s next chance to respond comes Thursday against Paris Basketball, with its postseason hopes hanging in the balance.
