Hapoel Petah Tikva Women — Hapoel Rishon LeZion Women: 76:77, Ligat Ha'Al Women

Hapoel Rishon LeZion Women claimed a narrow 77-76 victory over hosts Hapoel Petah Tikva in the Ligat HaAl on Saturday. The result moved the visitors into fourth place while the hosts remained sixth, both sides still without points in the table after 18 games each.

And here's the thing about a one-point margin — it tells you everything about how this match played out. Neither team pulled away for long stretches, and the game stayed within reach until the final moments. To be fair, neither side had much room to breathe in terms of the table either.

By then, the visitors had already shown they could handle pressure. Their last outing against Hapoel Holon ended 72-71, another game decided by a single point. Before that, they had beaten Bnei-Yehuda Women 84-73. Petah Tikva's recent results tell a different story — five losses in their last five meetings, including two defeats to Rishon LeZion earlier this season.

We called for the away win before kick-off at 64 per cent confidence, and that prediction came through. The visitors have the deeper squad and know how to grind out results when the game tightens. Petah Tikva found themselves chasing again, as they have done in recent encounters.

The gap between fourth and sixth place remains wide in terms of quality, even if the points table says otherwise. Both teams sit at 0 points after 18 games, which means the season has only just begun to take shape. That one-point win gives Rishon LeZion something to build on as the campaign continues.