Israel lose opening EuroBasket qualifier
Israel’s EuroBasket 2015 qualifying campaign got off to a losing start on Sunday evening after they were beaten 100-97 by Montenegro in Nicosia, Cyprus.
While Erez Edelstein’s side did battle back to force overtime (86-86), they couldn’t maintain their level of play during extra time, as they fell to this disappointing defeat.
Omri Casspi proved to be Israel’s main attacking threat, finishing with 28 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Israel’s second NBA player, Gal Mekel, contributed 19 points and six assists in 26 minutes.
He said: “We had it in our hands but this is a tournament and we must remember that we have five more games to play. I really believe that we can win in Montenegro, but we first have to beat the Netherlands and Bulgaria.”
Flying back to Israel on Sunday night, they next face the Netherlands on Wednesday, before playing in Bulgaria on 17 August, and Montenegro three days later, before facing two more ‘home’ games in Cyprus – due to not being allowed to play in Israel due to the security situation – against the Netherlands on 24 August, and Bulgaria three days later.
The seven group winners, plus six best second-place finishers, will qualify for next summer’s tournament.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
