Partizan edge Fenerbahce in last-second thriller / News - Basketnews.com

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade made a remarkable comeback against Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul to remain strong on the home court.

Credit: Partizan Mozzart Bet/Dragana Stjepanovic Credit Partizan Mozzart Bet/Dragana Stjepanovic

Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade (3-4) beat Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (5-2) with a comeback victory at home with a score of 85-84 (23-27, 24-29, 16-13, 22-15).

Player of the Game EFF 15 Alen Smailagic Points 13 Accuracy 6-9 Rebounds 1 Assists 1

The game went mostly as Fenerbahce dictated, with the Turkish team shooting and sharing the ball exceedingly well.

It was towards the end of the third quarter that Partizan started to be aggressive on the offensive boards and used the boost provided by the Stark Arena to make a comeback in the fourth quarter.

Partizan was able to equalize the score for the first time in a long while with the two-point basket of Frank Kaminsky, making it a tie at 73.

Back-and-forth exchanges of the scoring came to a head as Partizan was able to lead for the first time since 1st quarter after Frank Kaminsky charged down court to convert a perfectly placed pass by Zach LeDay, giving the hosts a 1-point lead (79-78).

However, Scottie Wilbekin scored his first two field goals in the game, putting Fenerbahce up by 3 points (79-82).

Successive breakdowns of communication in defense allowed Partizan to score 4 points in a row, giving back the lead to the Serbian powerhouse (83-82).

Yam Madar missed a crucial wide-open, go-ahead shot with 12 seconds remaining in the game as the Stark Arena rose in joyous celebration. Fenerbahce fouled Danilo Andusic, who converted two free throws to put Partizan up by three points (85-82).

Partizan did not want to give up the 3-pointer and fouled Scottie Wilbekin, who did not make a mistake at the charity stripe, putting Fenerbahce within striking distance (84-85).

Zeljko Obradovic took the timeout and carried the ball to half-court, but P. J. Dozier and Frank Kaminsky made a huge mistake and lost the ball on the inbounds play.

Free throws this season

82%17,5Points made:17,5Accuracy:82,4%Place in standings:1Record max:23Record min:11Most made FTs:Kevin PunterTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

The Serbian coach was furious, but thankfully for Partizan, Fenerbahce chose to take a difficult three-pointer, which they ultimately could not convert.

Both teams were wracked by injuries: Fenerbahce could not rely on the services of Dyshawn Pierre, Marko Guduric, Sertac Sanli, and Nick Calathes, while Partizan could not call on Kevin Punter.

For Partizan, in the absence of Punter, Frank Kaminsky was the top scorer of his team with 15 points, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter.

Kaminsky was joined by Alen Smailagic and James Nunnally, who both had 13 points.

In the first quarter, the Istanbul team went on a run of 13-0 to establish double-digit dominance over Partizan (25-15).

Fenerbahce generally showed a better game in the third quarter, but a 7-0 run by Partizan got the Stark Arena involved in the game (63-67).

Nigel Hayes-Davis has been phenomenal for Fenerbahce, accumulating 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.

He went well above his season averages, particularly in terms of shooting percentages. While held down in the second half, Hayes-Davis has still been the highest-scoring and most efficient player of his team.

His efforts were supported by Johnathan Motley and Tyler Dorsey, who respectively had 11 and 18 points.

Partizan: Frank Kaminsky 15 PTS, Alen Smailagic 13 PTS, James Nunnally 13 (3 REBS)

Fenerbahce: Nigel Hayes-Davis 23 (8/9 FG, 6 REB, 35 PIR), Tyler Dorsey 18 (4/8 3PT), Johnathan Motley 11 (5 REB)

Like what we are doing? You can express your gratitude here.