Partizan NIS Belgrade (5-1) scored their second road win of the EuroCup season, downing hosts Boulogne Metropolitans 92 89-82 (23-28, 27-25, 18-15, 21-14).
| Player of the Game | |
|
EFF
28
|
| Kevin Punter | |
| Points | 28 |
| Accuracy | 7-14 |
| Rebounds | 0 |
| Assists | 2 |
The Serbian squad forced the French to their maiden home loss, largely thanks to an exemplary fourth quarter on the defensive end and Serbian players (Alen Smailagic, Aleksa Avramovic, Nemanja Dangubic, Balsa Koprivica) becoming important factors in the game.
However, Kevin Punter led all scorers with 28 points on 7/14 field goals and 12/13 free-throws, plus 2 assists, one block and 28 in PIR.
The hosts dominated the boards, grabbing a total of 13 in the first quarter when David Michineau came off the bench to provide his team with instant scoring. The French guard helped Metropolitans take the lead, albeit losing the personal scoring battle with Kevin Punter.
The former Armani Milan shooting guard exploded with 15 points in 11 minutes, but as defenses were pushed to the side, Keith Hornsby responded with one of the same: 15 points in 11 minutes. After the scoring count was over, the French were up 35-29.
Partizan soon responded, taking advantage of consecutive Will Cummings turnovers and bad decisions. Zach LeDay complemented Punter adding 11 points and became one of the Serbs offensive weapons. Boulogne kept being solid at rebounding the ball, something that helped them not to lose control oven when Obradovic's men took a slight edge (47-46).
Two consecutive daggers by Alen Smailagic gave Partizan another lead (60-58) midway through the third quarter, but Vince Hunter was there to prove that he's one of the most dominant bigs in the competition. Rade Zagorac was unable to contain the former Virtus Bologna player who finished off several one-on-one attempts near the basket.
With the score tied at 68 apiece, everything was to be decided in the final ten minutes. Aleksa Avramovic and Alen Smailagic scored and created for their teammates. When Partizan's domestic players took off, the visitors got the upper hand.
The Serbs went up 75-70 and seemed to lay down the foundation for an important away win. Balsa Koprivica turned into one of the keys as he won some battles in the paint.
At the same time, Boulogne stuck to only 6 points in 8 minutes, going scoreless for almost four. Partizan got the most out of the situation and thanks to a 0-6 run essentially ended the game (74-85) although there were two minutes left on the clock.
Two other things worth noting:
Partizan fans making themselves heard in Paris.
Before tipoff, Zeljko Obradovic was warmly greeted and honored by Metropolitans 92 administration and Boulogne Metropolitans coach Vincent Collet.
Boulogne Metropolitans: Keith Hornsby 22 (817 FG, 3/3 FT, 5 REB, 4 AST), David Michineau 16 (6/15 FG, 5 REB, 4 AST), Vince Hunter 16 (6/7 FG, 4 REB), Will Cummings 13 (4/16 FG, 3/4 FT, 2 REB, 3 AST, 5 TO).
Partizan Belgrade: Kevin Punter 28 (7/14 FG, 12/13 FT, 2 AST), Zach LeDay 15 (5/11 FG, 5 REB, 3 AST), Alen Smailagic 14 (6/9 FG, 4 REB, 2 ST), Aleksa Avramovic 12 (5/9 FG, 1/2 FT, 5 REB, 5 AST).
Full game highlights:
