Adriatic League: Partizan Slides Further Down
Two popular Serbian clubs closed out Round 17 of 2015-16 Adriatic League action, but ended up with mixed results. Crvena Zvezda “Red Star” Telekom Beograd continued its winning streak with a 63-73 road victory over Tajfun Setjur. The struggles this season of BC Partizan continued with a tough 66-73 loss at home to KK Igokea Aleksandrovac.
Two games were on tap on Saturday. As expected, Metalac edged out last-placer KK Sutjeska Niksic, 84-78. Second ranked Cedevita Zagreb stayed close on the heels of league leading Buducnost, with solid 70-60 win over Krk Novo Mesto.
Tajfun vs. Crvena Zvezda, 63-73
Tajfun took a slim lead at the end of the first quarter, but from the second period onwards it was Crvena Zvezda all the way. Smart basketball was the key to Red Star’s success in this game. They dominated the boards, 36-24. They also forced more turnovers and were on point with their transition defense (13 steals).
An all-around team effort by the Serbian club overcame a game-high 16 points by Tajfun’s Domen Bratoz. Aleksandar Ponjavic also chipped in 14 points in the losing effort. Crvena Zvezda was the deeper team and their reserves outplayed Tajfun’s. Stefan Jovic led Red Star with 14 points and six assists.
Partizan vs. Igokea, 66-73
The hosts actually started off this game strong and looked pretty good after the opening whistle. The white shirts surged to a 22-11 after the first period and it appeared as if they were in control of the game. Igokea came back in the second frame and was able to cut into their lead. Partizan kept a 34-28 lead over their guests at the end of the first half.
Partizan collapsed after the break. It was the blue shirts that dictate the tempo of the game in the third period. From that point, the implosion continued a two-point lead by Igokea heading into the final frame grew to seven at the end of the game. And there you have another chapter in Partizan NiS’ disappointing 2015-16. Their hopes of making the Adriatic league playoffs have been snuffed out and they should look to focus on their campaign in the domestic Serbian KLS. They are now in 13th place (out of 14) with their 6-11 record.