JERUSALEM, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Israeli champions Maccabi Tel Aviv beat Italian side Armani Milano 69-63 in the 20th round of Euroleague basketball on Thursday evening.
The Israeli hosts achieved their 14th victory so far, while Milano remained with 10 wins in 20 games.
In front of 11,000 fans, at the Menorah Mivtachim Arena in the coastal city of Tel Aviv, the visitors dominated the first minutes, thanks to three-pointers by Nemanja Nedovic, on the way to a 21-15 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Milano then opened a 9-point gap (25-16), but a strong defense brought Maccabi back to the game, with a minimal 31-32 deficit at halftime.
The home team opened the second half strongly, leading 45-36, with key points by Scottie Wilbekin and Tyler Dorsey.
Milano cut the deficit in the third quarter to 48-52, but three pointers by Wilbekin helped Maccabi gain a 60-51 lead in the 34th minute.
A three-pointer by Keifer Sykes gave some hopes for the Italians, 63-66 with 2:43 minutes to go, but Wilbekin secured the win for the home team.
Wilbekin scored a team-high 22 points. His teammate Othello Hunter added 14 points and 14 rebounds.
Keifer led Milano's scorers with 11 points. His teammate Nedovic added 10 points.
Maccabi will play their next game in Germany against Bayern Munich on January 23, while Milano will face Fenerbahce in Turkey the next evening.
