By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
In the first duel of coaches Zeljko Obradovic and Vassilis Spanoulis, the grand master won.
Partizan prevailed on the road over Monaco (86-69) and remains tied with Milan with a 14-12 record in the 9th spot of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings.
Sterling Brown with 18 points was the top scorer of the winners, Tyrique Jones had 17 points and seven rebounds, Brandon Davies added 15 points, while Duane Washington and Iffe Lundberg had 11 points each, pleasing the traveling fans of Partizan which cheered loud and clear in Monaco.
“Proud of everyone in the locker room, everyone who suited up tonight and contributed to this win,” Tyrique Jones said.
The home team got 14 points, six rebounds, six assists, and also six turnovers by Nick Calathes, Mike James had 13 points on three out of 13 field goals and Alpha Diallo added 12 points.
“Mike James is, of course, a special player, the best scorer ever in the EuroLeague. It’s always a pleasure to meet him, just like it is to meet Nick Calathes, who was my player for many years in Panathinaikos,” Partizan’s head coach, Zeljko Obradovic, said about the opponent after the game.
Monaco, Panathinaikos, Crvena Zvezda, and Bayern Munich are now tied between the third and the sixth spot in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague standings.
A defensive clinic
Partizan had a three-point lead (21-18) after the first ten minutes of action, Giorgos Papagiannis and Nick Calathes pushed Monaco up by one (22-21) to start the second period, but after that things changed drastically.
Partizan with a 12-0 run got a 33-22 advantage, Brown already had 16 points and the hosts suddenly were lagging in effort. Monaco managed to trim the lead to four (39-35) and Partizan was up by eight (48-40) at halftime.
Μonaco again trimmed the lead to four (48-44) after a three by Mike James, but Partizan held and entered the last period leading by seven (62-55). Once more Monado made it a four-point game (64-60) after a three by Nick Calathes.
Still with six minutes left, after two free throws by Tyrique Jones, Partizan had again a 10-point advantage (71-61). Monaco was rattled, Partizan extended the lead to 15 (79-64), and with four minutes left, Partizan was in control until the end.
A three by Wayne Washington pushed the lead to 18 (84-66) with two minutes left and the game was over.
“It’s obvious that we prepared to play against an excellent team. They have a lot of quality, and it was necessary to be really aggressive on both ends of the court. I believe we played a very good game. In the first half, they took nine offensive rebounds, but we controlled that in the second half. Together with aggressive defense and smart offensive play, we had a good game. I’m really happy, and I want to congratulate my players,” Zeljko Obradovic concluded.
Photo credit: Turkish Airlines EuroLeague