By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Partizan needed a big win and got it in Milan, prevailing 90-70 in Italy.
Despite the impressive final score, the game was a big fight until the end of the third period but in the end, Partizan made everything right and Milan collapsed.
Sterling Brown (photo) with 26 points, Carlik Jones with 24 points and nine assists, plus Tyrique Jones with 22 points and seven rebounds created an admirable trio for the winners.
On the other side, Nikola Mirotic and Shavon Shields scored 16 points each, Leandro Bolmaro scored 14, and Zack LeDay added 10.
However, Milan lost the game and also Nico Mannion got injured in the closing seconds.
The bottom line is that Partizan with an 11-11 record still has hope for the postseason, while Milan remains among the Top 10 teams with a 12-10 record.
“I’m very happy, very satisfied. We did a great job in the second half, we played against a team that knows how to play. We stopped their main players. Very happy about this victory”, Partizan’s coach Zeljko Obradovic said.
Partizan in charge in the second half
The first half was totally balanced with the two teams tied at 17 after the first period and Milan finally created some distance leading by six (37-31) with three minutes left in the first half after the third tiple of Shavon Shields in the game.
Partizan managed to trim the lead to three (40-37) at the end of the second period with Carlik Jones scoring 12 points and Tyrique Jones having 10, while Shields and Bolmaro had 14 points each for Milan.
The guests opened up the second half with six unanswered points, getting the lead (43-40). Milan got it back (47-46) and the dogfight continued. However, Partizan closed the third period with an 8-3 run, getting a 64-55 lead with Sterling Brown and Tyrique Jones scoring at will and Giampaolo Ricci with a three almost at the buzzer trimmed the Serbs’ advantage to six points (64-58).
Still, Partizan had created some distance for the first time and the game changed. Brown with five straight points made the score 69-58 to start the last quarter and Partizan led even by 13 (74-61) with six minutes left.
Milan tried to react but a thunderous dunk by Tarique Jones made the score 80-67 with three and a half minutes left. Mirotic answered with a three (80-70), but Milan fell apart after that as Partizan closed the game with a 10-0 run.
Photo credit: EuroLeague