After a disappointing opening-round loss to Bayern Munich, Hapoel Tel Aviv has secured its first victory of the 2026/27 EuroLeague season with a hard-fought 81-80 away win over Red Star Belgrade. In two days, Dimitris Itoudis and his squad face an equally challenging matchup against Real Madrid, the team that eliminated them in last season’s EuroLeague quarterfinals.
The visiting side, missing Amir Coffey and Jacob Toppin, started strong and pulled away to a double-digit lead toward the end of the first quarter, led by Zach LeDay, Tai Odiase, and Ish Wainright. The Serbian host rallied in the second quarter before Elijah Bryant heated up to restore a cushion against former Hapoel players Chris Jones (6 points) and Johnathan Motley (2 points), who both struggled.
Itoudis’s squad tightened its defense in the final quarter and maintained its advantage despite poor shooting from beyond the arc - particularly by Vasilije Micic, who stood at 1-for-11 from three-point range deep into the deciding quarter - before he knocked down two crucial shots. The visitors nearly blew their lead in the final seconds but ultimately survived.
Statistics
Scored for Hapoel Tel Aviv: Elijah Bryant 18 (9-for-9 from the free-throw line), 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals; Zach LeDay 12; Antonio Blakeney 12 (1-for-6 from three); Vasilije Micic 11 (3-for-14 from three) and 6 rebounds; Tomas Satoransky 8; Tai Odiase 8; Dan Oturu 5, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks; Eugene German 2. Khadeen Carrington played one minute and did not score.
Top performers for Red Star: Jared Butler 19 (4-for-7 from three), Jordan Nwora 13, Tyson Carter 12, Chima Moneke 9 and 7 rebounds.
Game progression
First quarter:
Hapoel Tel Aviv opened with Vasilije Micic, Tomas Satoransky, Elijah Bryant, Zach LeDay, and Dan Oturu. Bryant quickly made it 8-2, while Chris Jones stood out on the other side to pull Red Star within 15-11. Tai Odiase provided a strong spark off the bench, LeDay sank a three-pointer, and Ish Wainright added one of his own to stretch the lead to a game-high 26-15. At the end of a very strong first quarter for the Reds, the score stood at 28-18.
Second quarter:
Nick Weiler-Babb and Semi Ojeleye completed a 7-0 run to trim the lead to 28-25. Blakeney ended a nearly four-minute drought with six consecutive points to push the margin to 34-25, but the visitors then missed shot after shot from three-point range. Jordan Nwora and his teammates responded with a 10-0 run to turn the game around at 35-32. Odiase, LeDay, and especially Bryant halted the momentum with a 13-0 run of their own, ending the first half with Hapoel Tel Aviv leading 45-35. Bryant finished the half with 13 points and 7 rebounds, while Blakeney and LeDay added 7 points each.
Third quarter:
Satoransky hit a three-pointer to make it 50-38. Red Star quickly closed the gap to 52-48 through Jared Butler, but Red Star's head coach was hit with a technical foul, to the dismay of the animated crowd. LeDay and Bryant extended the lead to 63-52, but the host side refused to give up and cut the deficit to 63-57. Entering the final quarter, the scoreboard read 67-59 for Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Fourth quarter:
Hapoel Tel Aviv opened the final quarter with excellent defense. Blakeney drew a foul on a three-point attempt to make it 74-63, Itoudis was slapped with a technical foul, and the misses from beyond the arc continued as the lead shrank to 74-69 with 2:30 left. Micic, who had been 1-for-11 from three up to that point, finally found his stroke with two huge three-pointers to make it 80-70. Red Star pulled back to within 80-77 with 11.5 seconds remaining. Satoransky hit one shot from the free-throw line, while Butler hit a three-pointer at the buzzer on the other end, securing an 81-80 victory for Hapoel Tel Aviv at the final whistle.