Hapoel Jerusalem edges Hapoel Tel Aviv to win Israeli Basketball League Cup

JERUSALEM, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Hapoel Jerusalem won the Israeli Basketball League Cup after beating Hapoel Tel Aviv 89-84 in the final on Saturday.

In the match played in front of 8,900 fans at the Pais Arena in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, which has the same 7-2 win-loss records with Zagiris Kaunas and Red Star Belgrade in the EuroLeague competition, took an early 12-7 lead, but Jared Harper helped Jerusalem take a 29-24 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Harper and Roy Paretsky extended Jerusalem's lead to 50-40 midway through the second half, but former NBA player Vasilije Micic helped Tel Aviv cut the deficit to 50-52 at halftime.

Jerusalem regained control of the match thanks to a strong defense for a 76-60 lead, before Tel Aviv trimmed the deficit to 12 points heading into the final quarter.

Tel Aviv pulled within 84-88 with one minute remaining but could not mount further comeback, while Jerusalem lifted its seventh League Cup title.

Harper scored a game-high 33 points for Jerusalem, and teammate Khadeen Carrington added 15. Antonio Blakeney led Tel Aviv with 19 points.

Jerusalem will play Lithuania's BC Neptunas in the EuroCup on Tuesday, while Tel Aviv faces Spain's Saski Baskonia on the same evening. ■