By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Partizan defeated visiting Virtus Bologna 99-81, in a scoring feast for their first game into the Top 16 Round of 7DAYS EuroCup.
Torrian Walden and Nemanja Gordic stunned the Italian team’s defense, posting 23 and 22 points each.
At the same time, Virtus had Frank Gaines adding 21 points, while Milos Teodosic and Julian Gamble shared 14 points each.
The home team stormed the Italian side with a 36-19 score in the second period and set the foundations for their victory early on with a 62-42 advantage at halftime. Virtus improved offensively in the second half but had a long way to cover, as Partizan kept expanding its lead.
Earlier on Wednesday, Darussafaka Tefken Istanbul prevailed over Dolomiti Energia Trento 73-69 in a close battle to start off their Top 16 journey on a good note.
Aaron Craft trimmed the deficit to 69-67 with 30 seconds to go in the game, yet Darussafaka stood strong and defended its homecourt.
Gary Browne led the winning side with 18 points, three rebounds, while Trento’s Alessandro Gentile posted 17 points and five rebounds.
EuroCup Group E standings:
| Group E | W | L | PTS+ | PTS- | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Partizan NIS Belgrade | 1 | 0 | 99 | 81 | 18 |
| 2. Darussafaka Tekfen Istanbul | 1 | 0 | 73 | 69 | 4 |
| 3. Dolomiti Energia Trento | 0 | 1 | 69 | 73 | -4 |
| 4. Segafredo Virtus Bologna | 0 | 1 | 81 | 99 | -18 |
Photo: EuroCup