Basketball / Euroleague / Thank you, David Bluthenthal

A third-quarter scoring outburst by David Bluthenthal broke open a close game, but Maccabi Tel Aviv had to sweat out a fourth-quarter comeback before beating Le Mans 99-91 in their Euroleague Group B game last night.

Maccabi, which has now won four straight Euroleague games, improved to 6-2, creating a three-way tie, along with Rytas Vilnius and Malaga, at the top of the eight-team group. Le Mans, looking for its first Euroleague victory this season, fell to 0-8.

Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Oded Katash started with Vonteego Cummings, Yotam Halperin, Terrence Morris, David Bluthenthal and Esteban Batista, while the hosts went with Nicolas Batum, Alain Koffi, Raviv Limonad, Yannick Bokolo and Sam Clancy.

Batista recorded the first basket of the game, and less than three minutes later, Morris' three-pointer gave Maccabi an early 10-2 lead.

After trading baskets, Le Mans woke up. Limonad pulled his French club to within four points (14-10), Koffi narrowed the gap to just two and after Katash called a timeout, Batum leveled the score.

Neither team succeeded in breaking away and the frantic first period ended with Le Mans holding a 25-24 lead.

After a Derrick Sharp three-pointer gave Maccabi a 33-31 lead, Philip Ricci evened the score yet again, with 5:40 left in the first half.

Maccabi went on a quick 5-0 run and more or less maintained that lead until it went into halftime with a 50-44 lead following Morris' buzzer-beater.

However, the third quarter was a completely different story. Maccabi continued to score, but not Le Mans.

Bluthenthal opened the second half with two consecutive three-pointers to give Maccabi a 12-point lead, its biggest of the game up to that point.

After Will Bynum was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct foul, Clancy's two foul shots brought Le Mans back to within eight at 56-48.

However, Maccabi countered with a 9-2 run, and continued to control the game.

Bluthenthal, of course, capped Maccabi's dominance in the third quarter with two free throws at the end of the period that gave the visitors a 79-60 lead.

Bluthenthal was nearly unstoppable in the third, scoring 16 points, equaling Le Mans' team total for the quarter.

But Le Mans clawed its way back in the fourth quarter, opening with an 8-0 run, and reduced the deficit to just six points (95-89) with 1:11 left in the final regulation period.

After Halperin missed a three-pointer, Ricci narrowed it to 95-91 with 37 seconds left, but Morris countered with a two-pointer of his own that all but put the game away for Maccabi.

Sharp was fouled under the Le Mans basket and sank both of his free throws to cap the scoring.