Hapoel Tel Aviv earns sensational EuroCup Finals appearance in dramatic 94:92 win in Valencia, Spain

Hapoel Tel Aviv won a sensational finals berth in a 94:92 nail-biter against Valencia on Wednesday, earning their first-ever shot at winning Europe’s second-most prestigious tournament, in which they will play against Spanish CB Gran Canaria.

The Israeli basketball club overcame numerous obstacles on the way to the Finals, which are set to start on April 16.

The shot that got @HapoelTLVBC to the EuroCup final! 😤💯

Marcus Foster tuff 🫡🔥#MagicMoments pic.twitter.com/6vTsIDrweg

— BKT EuroCup (@EuroCup) April 2, 2025

Hapoel lost the first game of the best-of-three series but evened the score in their temporary home stadium in Samokov, Bulgaria, where they are forced to host home games due to the ongoing security situation in Israel.

Valencia Basket is the most successful club in the EuroCup, and with a home advantage, it was the clear favorite.

The home team opened the game with a 7–0 run, but Hapoel quickly responded with a run of its own, keeping the game tightly contested from the outset.

HAPOEL TEL AVIV EUROCUP FINALS 2025 🔴🔥 pic.twitter.com/yQE0XGDrcb

— Sports Rabbi (@thesportsrabbi) April 2, 2025

In the fourth quarter, Hapoel managed to build a nine-point advantage, however, the home team clawed back, and the game was tied with less than a minute to play.

That’s when Hapoel’s Marcus Foster received the ball in a chaotic sequence but kept his nerve, nailing a pull-up over three defenders from just within the three-point line to give his team the win.

“It was a tight game, we played with a good mentality. They scored some easy baskets, but our mentality was good. This is sports, this is life,” Valencian coach Pedro Martinez shared after the loss.

Epic post game celebrations from Hapoel Tel Aviv who got into their FIRST EVER EuroCup final! 🎉🥳#RoadToGreatness pic.twitter.com/qA6MVaSYmO

— BKT EuroCup (@EuroCup) April 2, 2025

“The value of the opponents shows how important this victory was, and the qualification for the Finals. We knew what we were gonna face,” said Dimitris Itoudis, the coach of Hapoel.

Foster scored 22 points in the victory, while Antonio Blakeney led all scorers with 32 points and nine rebounds.