Partizan overpowers Zalgiris in Belgrade 16
Zalgiris Kaunas (8-15) lost the EuroLeague Round 23 game on the road. The Lithuanian champions suffered a 72-81 (26-22, 17-23, 16-16, 13-20) defeat to Partizan Belgrade (12-11).
PJ Dozier paced Partizan with 23 points, 15 of them in the first quarter, as he also dished out 4 assists and played superb defense to cap his best performance for the Serbian club. Zach LeDay added 21 points and 5 rebounds, while Frank Kaminsky chipped in with 12 points, 10 of them in the fourth quarter.
At the other end, Keenan Evans stood out for Zalgiris with a game-high 25 points and Laurynas Birutis added 11 to go with 5 boards, but the Lithuanian team faded in the fourth quarter in a fervent atmosphere after racing into an early 15-4 lead.
Dozier’s effervescent mid-range shooting was crucial in the opening period, as he kept Partizan afloat single-handedly when his teammates struggled all over. Zalgiris was 24-18 ahead at the end of the first quarter, but LeDay then stepped up in the second as the hosts turned the tide and carved out a 43-45 halftime lead.
The second half produced an even more physical battle and baskets were hard to come by in the third quarter, which finished 16-16 and saw Partizan hold on to a slender 59-61 advantage heading into the final 10 minutes. Kaminsky, who’d had a quiet game up to that point, made his presence in the paint count and netted some crucial baskets down the stretch as Partizan gradually pulled away.
Ironclad defense had confined the visitors to scoring just 2 points in the fourth quarter’s opening 5 minutes and misfiring Zalgiris failed to force late drama in front of Partizan’s passionate 20,000 home fans inside Stark Arena.
Facebook comments