Belgrade, December 18 –
Virtus’ win against Partizan, their third in a row at the Beograd Arena (formerly Stark Arena) in the last three years in the Euroleague, came after a team effort by coach Dusko Ivanovic’s side, who were able to react immediately to an early surge by the hosts, who went up by eight points in the first half. In no time at all, the Bianconeri, starting with Hackett’s three-pointer from the corner, closed the gap and then took the lead before the half time.
However, Virtus made the difference in the second half, particularly between the third and fourth quarters: with 3’23‘ remaining in the third quarter, Sterling Brown scored to make it 52-54, and with 7’58’ remaining in the final quarter, Duane Washington scored. In between, Virtus went on a 16-0 run that sealed the deal for the final victory: six points in a row from Niang and a three-pointer from Morgan to close out the third quarter, another three-pointer, this time from Smailagic, a mid-range jumper from Hackett and two more points from Smailagic at the start of the fourth quarter. While Virtus’ attack was more than productive, the Bologna team also made its presence felt on the defensive end in the five and a half minutes that decided the game: six rebounds (five defensive) and four steals, which allowed Morgan and his teammates to run in transition and find confidence on offence.
A score that annihilated Partizan, who just a week earlier in the Belgrade derby had used more or less the same ‘methods’ to turn the game around against their rivals Red Star. This was Virtus’ third win in Belgrade against Partizan in the last three years. While the first two times they had to sweat it out until the end to raise their arms at the end (decisive baskets by Lundberg and Clyburn in the final seconds), this time they built a decisive lead early on with a decisive run on both sides of the court and with all players involved.
