By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Partizan Belgrade guard Corey Walden was named MVP of EuroCup’s Top 16, Round 5. The American player scored 29 points and grabbed five rebounds to register 33 PIR and lead his team to a comeback win on the road over Virtus Bologna. A result that sent Partizan to the quarterfinals.
Per EuroCup Basketball:
Corey Walden stepped up when needed most to lead Partizan NIS Belgrade to a thrilling come-from-behind 82-84 road win against Segafredo Virtus Bologna on Wednesday. The victory clinched first place for Partizan in Group E and home-court advantage in the quarterfinals, while also earning Walden his first career MVP of the Round honor. Walden was brilliant, scoring a club-record 29 points to rally Partizan from 15 points down to win. He shot 6-for-10 from two-point range, 3-for-4 on three-pointers and 8-for-10 from the free throw line. Walden also had 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals for a PIR of 33, the highest of any player in Top 16 Round 5. In that same game, Virtus playmaker Milos Teodosic had a PIR of 30, finishing with 24 points, 10 assists and 5 rebounds. The next-best Round 5 performance belonged to Galatasaray Doga Sigorta guard Tai Webster, who collected 18 points, 6 assists and 4 steals for a PIR of 26 in his team’s home loss to AS Monaco. Jarrod Jones of Darussafaka Tekfen Istanbul had an index rating 25, amassing 12 points and a club-record 17 rebounds in a crucial road win at Dolomiti Energia Trento. Rounding out the list of top performers were Jaleel O’Brien of Monaco, Alex Poythress of Galatasaray and Mitchell Watt of Umana Reyer Venice, each with a PIR of 24.
Photo: Massimo Ceretti – Virtus via EuroCup Basketball