Euroleague team Maccabi Tel Aviv achieved a 90-78 home win over Champions League side Hapoel Jerusalem in the classico game of the Israeli Super League on Sunday night.
The win lifted Maccabi, who are currently in second place, to a 13-3 win-loss record, while Jerusalem remained with nine wins from 17 games in a disappointing season so far.
About 9,200 fans at the Menora Mivtachim Arena in south Tel Aviv saw a close first quarter, ending 16-15 for Maccabi.
In the second quarter, Jake Cohen and captain John DiBartolomeo inspired Maccabi to take a 44-37 lead at halftime.
Assists by Speedy Smith and points by Levi Randolph and Oz Blayzer helped Jerusalem keep the deficit low, 60-65 at the end of the third quarter.
However, strong team defense and crucial points by Wade Baldwin secured the win for Maccabi.
DiBartolomeo scored a game-high 19 points for Maccabi, while Baldwin added 17. Randolph scored a team-high 18 points for Jerusalem.
