Βy Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Partizan achieved a significant victory in the 24th round of the Euroleague, defeating Hapoel Tel Aviv 104-101 in Munich, where they played this game as the home team.
It’s hard to describe everything we witnessed in this match. The Euroleague leader played excellently, and it seemed they would secure an easy win, as the Israelis had a 21-point lead at halftime (56-35). At the beginning of the third quarter, Hapoel even had a 27-point lead (64-37), making it seem like Partizan needed a miracle. In the end, that’s exactly what happened.
The black and whites managed to reduce the deficit by the end of the third quarter, introduced drama, and further complicated life for the guests. It seemed that Hapoel would eventually secure the victory, but they lost the ball at 88-85, followed by a three-pointer from Vanja Marinkovic.
In the decisive attack, Chris Jones took responsibility, scoring on the first attempt, but after reviewing the footage, the referees overturned their decision on a goaltending call. Simultaneously, they gave Partizan a chance to win, with the team led by Joan Penarroya having one second, but Isaac Bonga missed in an attack where Vanja Marinkovic got injured.
Overtime didn’t start well for Partizan either, as Joan Penarroya was ejected due to a second technical foul, but the home team survived that, showed stability in the finish, and eventually celebrated. Antonio Blakeney had an open three-pointer in the last second but missed, allowing Partizan’s celebration to begin.
Cameron Payne led his team to victory with 19 points, while Arijan Lakic scored 15. On the other side, Dimitris Itoudis couldn’t count on Elijah Bryant due to injury, and in his absence, Daniel Oturu scored 24, while Vasilije Micic added 19 points.
Hapoel now has a 16-7 record and shares the first place with Fenerbahce, and in the next round, they will face Bayern. On the other hand, Partizan has eight wins and 16 losses, and in the next round, they will visit Olimpia Milano.