Maccabi Tel Aviv coach did not hide the disappointment after 99:79 against Anadolu: "The rivalry was much better and the victory came for her. We should have kept better and smarter and we did not do that."

• Janis Sporopoulos. Fifth loss this season

  Photo:

  Danny Maron

Maccabi Tel Aviv suffered an unpleasant defeat in Istanbul on Thursday as it surrendered almost without a 99:79 battle against Andulo Zero possession with a particularly lacking roster.

"The rivalry was much better and the win came to her," said yellow coach Janis Spropoulos. "We started well in the first half, but in the second quarter we made some mistakes that hurt us."

"The most important moments in the game were in the third quarter when we were not tough on defense and allowed them to score 18 points in the first 5 minutes without committing a single offense," the Greek added. "We didn't play smart and couldn't avoid losses.

Icy is having a hard time against zero, tonight. No forces // Photo: Maccabi Tel Aviv's official website

"They have the qualities and the experience to score well, but we should have kept better and smarter and didn't do it. It's a team last year that made it to the finals and without saving good it is impossible to beat it. When you allow her to feel comfortable she is punishing. "They stopped 99 points, they have the quality. We kept trying, but we weren't good enough defensively. We have to learn from this game, to play a lot stronger."

The Israel Champion will return to Israel on Friday and begin preparations for the foreign game against Hapoel Beer Sheva on Sunday.