By Amy Samin
Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv lost to Unics Kazan on the road, 78-68 in the fourth round of the Eurocup Last 32. Sylven Landesberg (16 points, 11 rebounds) and Trevor Mbakwe (15 points, 12 rebounds) were standouts. Devin Smith added 11 points, Gal Mekel had 8 points and 8 assists, and Itay Segev contributed 7 points and 5 rebounds.
Starters for Maccabi were Devin Smith, Itay Segev, Ike Ofoegbu, Taylor Rochestie, and Gal Mekel. The game was close early in the first quarter, with the score 7-7 after two and a half minutes. Keith Langford woke up and took the Russians to a 15-12 lead halfway through the period. Trevor Mbakwe scored to make it a one point game, 15-14 with two minutes left, but Kazan broke things open and the period ended with the hosts leading 24-18.
A triple by Guy Pnini (assist Mekel) and points by Mekel and Segev made it a one point game again, 26-25, but Langford and Kazan broke things open, and the teams went into the halftime break with Maccabi trailing 43-32.
A triple by Smith and points by Segev in the paint made it 43-38 two minutes into the second half. The Russians soon responded, expanding their lead to double digits and causing Coach Tabak to call for a time out. Mbakwe scored five straight, Landesberg added a deuce, and Smith scored from outside the arc to tie the game at 50 with a minute left in the third quarter, but Kazan scored four quick points to end the period with a 54-50 lead over Maccabi.
The Russians continued to grow their lead as the fourth quarter got underway, thanks in part to Maccabi's difficulties on offense, and halfway through the period they led by fifteen points. Landesberg managed to cut that to nine, 73-64, but from there Maccabi couldn't move forward. In the end, Uncis Kazan defeated Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv 78-68.