JERUSALEM, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) -- Hapoel Tel Aviv achieved a dramatic 89-86 home derby win over Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli Basketball Super League at the Shlomo Group Arena on Saturday evening.
Maccabi led 79-69 with less than five minutes to go, but guard Xavier Munford inspired Hapoel to make an impressive turnaround.
With 49 seconds to go, Maccabi guard Wade Baldwin cut Hapoel's lead to 87-86, and ten seconds later point guard Will Cummings hit one of two free throws, making it 88-86.
After a Maccabi turnover, Munford hit one of two from the line with 3.6 seconds remaining, increasing the margin to three. Hapoel power forward Kyle Alexander blocked a 3-pointer attempt by Roman Sorkin before the final buzzer to secure the win for the hosts.
Cummings scored a team-high 18 points for Hapoel, while Munford and Alexander added 17 points each.
Baldwin scored a game-high 21 points for Maccabi, along with eight assists. His teammate Bonzie Colson had 17 points.
The win lifted Hapoel to a 7-1 win-loss record at the top of the Israeli league, while Maccabi has three wins from five games. ■
