Bnei Herzliya Defeated 86-75 by Badalona in FIBA Champions League Opener

Bnei Herzliya opened its FIBA Champions League campaign on Tuesday evening with an 86-75 away defeat to Joventut Badalona. Yeho Orland's squad started well and even led in the first quarter, but gradually lost control, fell behind by a double-digit margin in the second half, and could not recover against Ricky Rubio and Nico Laprovittola's side.

Herzliya started excellently as Amit Gershon scored two early three-pointers, while Zach Bryant and DJ Burton joined in to give the visitors a 14-6 lead. Badalona responded with a run of their own, erased the deficit, and ended the first quarter up 18-16. Early in the second quarter, Herzliya stayed close and even led 23-21, but the hosts took control from there. Kellen Dunham, Emir Sulejmanovic, and Simon Birgander led the breakaway, sending Badalona into halftime leading 42-33.

The pattern remained unchanged after the break. Badalona maintained its lead, extended it to double digits, and Herzliya struggled to generate a significant run to shift momentum. Burton, Nathan Knight, and Noah Carter tried to keep the visitors in contention, but the hosts finished the third quarter ahead 63-52. From there, Herzliya failed to mount a comeback, and Badalona sealed an 86-75 victory in the opening fixture.

Burton led Herzliya with 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting, Bryant added 13 points, 6 assists, and 6 steals, DJ Barnes scored 12, and Amit Gershon contributed 11. Nathan Knight managed 8 points on 2-of-11 from the field. For Badalona, Emir Sulejmanovic starred with 20 points and 7 rebounds, Simon Birgander scored 14 without missing a shot from the field along with 6 rebounds and 5 assists, and Kellen Dunham added 12. Ricky Rubio finished with 6 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds, while Nico Laprovittola chipped in 11 points and 4 assists.