By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Lonnie Walked had 26 points and tried his best, although Partizan at home is a different animal.
The Serbs got the 84-78 win over Zalgiris Kaunas with Carlik Jones having 19 points and 10 assists, Tyrique Jones scoring 15 points, while Frank Ntilikina also added 15 and Sterling Brown had 11, including a crucial three near the end of the game.
“Everybody contributed, everybody played well, it was an all-around team effort”, admitted Carlik Jones.
Brady Manek and Edgaras Ulanovas scored 12 points each for the losing side which dropped to 7-6, while Partizan is at 5-8 after three straight wins.
Decided on details
With Walker scoring 17 out of the first 32 points of Zalgiris, the Lithuanians stayed close, but Partizan never trailed in the first half.
The home side led 22-19 after the end of the first period and 44-41 at halftime.
Tyrique Jones with 14 points set the tone in the paint for the Serbs, while the guests had a solid 20-14 advantage on the boards which was their saving grace.
The game was totally balanced in the third period, which ended with the score tied at 64 and everything would be decided on details.
With four minutes left in the game, Partizan had a 5-0 run – two free throws by Carlik Jones and a three by Brown – which made the score 74-67. That distance proved to be enough until the end as Zalgiris never got closer than three (77-74) until the end.
Photo credit: EuroLeague