By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Maccabi earned the victory in the 18th round of the EuroLeague by defeating Partizan in Belgrade, with a 112-87 score.
Joan Penarroya made his debut as Partizan’s coach, and Cameron Payne played his first minutes, showing he could be a major reinforcement, but it wasn’t enough for the hosts to avoid the debacle.
Payne led his team with 15 points and six assists, which once again played without Carlik Jones and Shake Milton. Sterling Brown added 12, while Isaac Bonga and Tyrique Jones had ten points.
On the other side, Lonnie Walker IV was masterful with 20 points (5/11 from three) and five assists, Roman Sorkin scored 17, and TJ Leaf added 11.
Partizan started better on Payne’s drive and even led by eight points at the end of the first quarter (31-23). However, Maccabi responded with a 13-0 run at that moment, pulled away by halftime, and with three threes at the start of the third quarter, they surged to an incredible +24 (67-43). There was no comeback after that.
Partizan now has six wins and 12 losses and will conclude the first part of the EuroLeague with a trip to Valencia. Maccabi has strung together a fifth win, now at 8-10, and will visit Bayern in the next round.