JERUSALEM, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Israel's Hapoel Jerusalem achieved a 91-78 win over Greece's Peristeri B.C. in FIBA Champions League playoffs on Wednesday.
With the win, Jerusalem leads 1-0 in the best of three in the round of 16 phase.
The game at the Pais Arena in Jerusalem was played without spectators following the Israeli government's instructions not to hold events with more than 5,000 people because of the novel coronavirus outbreak.
The first minutes were close, but three-pointers by James Feldine gave Jerusalem a 7-point gap at the end of the first quarter (25-18).
Jerusalem also dominated the opening of the second quarter, on the way to a 41-28 lead in the 15th minute, but Peristeri's William Hatcher led his team to the deficit of just 2 points, 39-41 in the 17th minute and 46-48 at halftime.
The visiting team also took the lead in the third quarter (53-50), thanks to points and rebounds by Yanick Moreira.
The next minutes were close before Jerusalem opened a 72-67 gap at the end of the third quarter.
In the last quarter, Jerusalem was completely in control, thanks to J'Covan Brown's contribution, on the way to an 82-69 lead in the 35th minute, which was enough to secure the win.
TaShawn Thomas scored a team-high 16 points, while his teammates Feldine and Shelvin Mack finished with 15 points each.
Moreira led Peristeri with 20 points, along with 11 rebounds. His teammates Hatcher and DeAndre Kane finished with 13 points each.
Game 2 of the series will be played in Greece on March 11.
