Porto's 23–4 Run Leaves Herzliya at 0–2

Bnei Herzliya lost 86–74 to Portugal's Porto on Wednesday night in Samokov, Bulgaria, leaving the Sharon squad without a win in the FIBA Basketball Champions League. Herzliya opened with a five-point lead, then fell 20 points behind before cutting the deficit to five in the second half. The comeback changed the game's shape, but not the result.

A fast reversal

Two quick three-pointers gave Herzliya an early five-point advantage. Porto answered with a 15–4 run and finished the first quarter ahead 22–16. The opening lead was gone. The score had turned against Herzliya before the first period ended.

Porto widened its advantage in the second quarter. A 23–4 run carried the Portuguese team to a 47–29 halftime lead, putting Herzliya 18 points behind at the break. The match account said Porto's lead had reached 20 during the game. That scoring burst marked the sharpest stretch of separation between the teams.

At halftime, Herzliya needed a substantial response. It came after the break, with Daeshon Francis and DJ Brewton leading the effort. Herzliya put together a 25–12 run in the second half and cut Porto's lead to five points. The team had brought the margin within reach, but Porto held on late in the third quarter and entered the final frame ahead 63–56.

The final quarter

Nathan Knight fouled out early in the fourth quarter. Porto immediately pushed its advantage back into double digits, and Herzliya couldn't close the gap. The late stretch ended any chance of completing the comeback and left Porto with a 12-point win.

Brewton led Herzliya with 24 points, matching Porto's Broussard, who led all scorers with 24. Francis scored 14 points, Knight had 11 and Noah Carter contributed 10. D.J. Burns scored 7, Zack Bryant had 5 and Dusty Hannahs added 3. Those figures account for the named Herzliya players' contributions in the loss; the match account identifies Broussard as Porto's leading scorer.

The result left Herzliya at 0–2 in the competition. The team entered the game after a dramatic double-overtime domestic league win, but that earlier result didn't carry over to the Champions League scoreboard. Against Porto, Herzliya led briefly, absorbed the 23–4 second-quarter run, and then narrowed the deficit with a strong second-half stretch. The rally made the contest closer. It wasn't enough to take the win.