Israeli champions Maccabi Tel Aviv beat German side Alba Berlin 80-73 in the first round of Euroleague basketball on Thursday evening.

The game was played behind closed doors at the Menorah Mivtachim Arena in the coastal city of Tel Aviv.

Alba dominated the first quarter, thanks to points by Simone Fontecchio and Marcus Ericksson, on the way to a 29-19 lead at the end of the quarter.

Alba increased the lead to 12 points early in the second quarter, but a remarkable 11-0 run, led by Scottie Wilbekin and Othello Hunter, brought Maccabi back to the game.

The hosts did not stop, and created another amazing run, this time 14-0, on the way to a 44-33 lead in the 17th minute and 49-41 at half-time.

Points by Jayson Granger cut the gap to 49-51 in the 24th minute, but Maccabi's Angelo Caloiaro responded with points of his own, leading Maccabi to a 67-58 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Maccabi increased the gap to 75-60 with seven minutes to go, securing the club's first Euroleague win of the season.

Caloiaro scored a team-high 18 points. Chris Jones added 12 points, while Hunter logged 12 points and 6 rebounds.

Eriksson led Alba scorers with 18 points. Fontecchio finished with 16 points and 8 rebounds.

Maccabi will play their next game in Russia against CSKA Moscow on October 8, while Alba will host Bayern Munich in a German derby the next evening. 

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