Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv flipped the script in the second half and powered its way to a hard-fought 81-87 road win over Anadolu Efes Istanbul, finishing its first EuroLeague week with a perfect 2-0 record.
After a sluggish first half, where Efes dominated on the glass and controlled the pace, Hapoel tightened up its defense and played with aggressive energy on both ends of the court. The visitors allowed just 13 points in the third quarter and maintained that momentum through the fourth, ultimately securing the victory.
“We saw two very different halves,” Hapoel head coach Dimitris Itoudis reflected. “In the first half, we played like prima donnas. Defensively, we weren’t on the court; offensively, our attitude was wrong and our spacing was poorly organized – Efes had us figured out. We were just reacting and falling behind.”
“But everything changed in the third and fourth quarters. We set the tone with a different mindset on defense and committed ourselves to playing aggressive basketball on both ends. That made all the difference.”