By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Partizan Mozzart Bet trailed for most of the match but eventually had a chance to win the game. However, luck stayed on Virtus Segafredo Bologna’s side as Frank Kaminsky missed the three-pointer for the win at the buzzer.
After a very tense and exciting final quarter, Luca Banchi’s side persevered and handed Zeljko Obradovic‘s team only the second defeat of the season in Belgrade, with the final score of 75-77 in the packed Stark Arena.
Virtus thus concluded the year with an impressive 12-5 score, while Partizan fell to 9-8. At the beginning of 2024, in Round 18 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, the Italian side will host Bayern Munich, while Partizan will once again play at home, this time against LDLC ASVEL.
Iffe Lundberg led the winning side with 16 points, while Marco Belinelli followed him with 14, as Tornike Shengelia, Daniel Hackett, and Awudu Abass scored 10 points each.
“Huge victory; we all know what it’s like to play in front of the 20,000 fans in this arena. We stayed together, played through our game plan as the coaching staff gave us clear ideas on how to approach the game. We were solid from the start, and even though we had our ups and downs, we showed our character,” Hackett said after the match.
For Partizan, James Nunnally stood out with 19 points and was a driving force for the team for most of the match, adding six assists and four rebounds. Kevin Punter and Ognjen Jaramaz scored 12 points each, while Bruno Caboclo and Kaminsky followed with 10 points apiece.
Leading from the start
Virtus took control early in the first period, establishing a 20-10 lead. This awakened the initially sluggish hosts, who managed to tie the score at the beginning of the second quarter. However, the Italian team responded promptly, re-establishing a double-digit advantage. As in the first 10 minutes, Partizan performed better in the final minutes, narrowing the deficit to 36-41 before halftime.
A similar scenario unfolded after the break. Virtus began the quarter strongly, regaining a double-digit lead, but Partizan responded and reduced the difference to 55-60 after 30 minutes of play. The teams went back and forth in the final quarter, but the visiting side maintained their lead and ultimately survived a last-second shot attempt from Kaminsky.
“A brilliant way for our team to finish the first round of the EuroLeague. We held our position and proved that in a special atmosphere against such a powerful team, we have the consistency to compete. I want to thank everyone and congratulate everyone from the coaching staff. We led for most of the game, despite all the issues. We had some injury problems during the match with Cacok and Hackett. We kept playing, and stayed together. When you play against Partizan, you have to play all 40 minutes. That’s why everything was decided in the last possession. We showed character throughout the entire match, as well as spirit,” Virtus’ head coach Luca Banchi said.
Zeljko Obradovic was not dissatisfied with his team’s performance, despite the loss.
“I want to congratulate the players on everything they did tonight. We lost because we couldn’t sink an open shot at the end. If that one ball had gone in, we would’ve won. We did everything we were supposed to do. Everything, absolutely everything. The players were always open, the ball movement was good, they gave their all on defense.”
Photo: euroleaguebasketball.net