Partizan snapped its four-game road losing streak in a resounding fashion with a 71-93 win over Slask Wroclaw thanks to aggressive defense and its dominance on the offensive glass.

Telling numbers: Boards and steals set the tone for Partizan

Partizan finished the game with 5 more offensive rebounds, grabbing 15 compared to Slask's 10, but the greatest difference came in the key part of the game – the first quarter.

In the first quarter, Partizan made 10 of 15 two-pointers and 2 of 4 threes, but on those 7 missed field goals the team had 5 offensive rebounds. Balsa Koprivica grabbed a couple early on and it played a big part in Partizan opening the game in style, outscoring Slask 4-21 in the first 6 minutes.

Turk Telekom's interior defense stands strong

Turk Telekom came into the game as the lowest-scoring team in the league at 72.3 points per game but eclipsed that mark by nearly 10 points. Coach Henrik Rodl’s side has, however, been stellar on its interior defense, holding teams to just 50.1% on two-pointers – which is third-best in the competition.

And it was that persistence that carried Turk Telekom past Trento, which managed to connect on only 14 of 35 two-pointers (40.0%). Turk Telekom did a particularly good job against the quartet of Cameron Reynolds, Diego Flaccadori, Andrea Mazzanotte and Maximilian Ladurner, who combined to make just 4 of 18 two-point shots in the game.

Turk Telekom Ankara v Dolomiti Energia Trento (2022-03-22T17:00:00.000Z)

Cameron Reynolds - Dolomiti Energia Trento (photo Turk Telekom) - EC21-RS16

Partizan led from start to finish in a dominating 71-93 road win over Slask Wroclaw on Tuesday. 

Partizan ends road skid, downs Slask 71-93

This was Partizan's first win away from home after four consecutive road losses as it improved to 11-4 in Group B. On the other hand, despite a loss and dropping to 3-11, Slask booked its playoff ticket thanks to a loss by Dolomiti Energia Trento. Partizan opened the game with a 4-21 lead and the hosts never got within single digits the rest of the way. Kevin Punter scored all of his 15 points in the first half and Yam Madar also had 15. Zach LeDay added 14, Aleksa Avramovic scored 11 and had 5 steals and Balsa Koprivica posted 10 points plus 8 rebounds. Jakub Karolak paced Slask with 14 points, Travis Trice paired 13 points with 8 assists and Kerem Kanter collected 12 points and 7 rebounds.

Koprivica had a tip-in and a block in the early going, with Punter and Avramovic scoring in transition for a 2-10 lead. A jumper from Travis Trice was the only field goal the hosts made on the first 10 tries in the opening 6 minutes. Meanwhile, Rade Zagorac was setting up his Partizan teammates: Avramovic had a floater and a corner triple and Koprivica a pair of dunks to open a 4-21 margin. Aleksander Dziewa snapped a 0-11 run with a three-pointer and Lukasz Kolenda added a driving layup, but Mathias Lessort inside and LeDay from the outside helped the visitors to a 14-29 margin after 10 minutes.

 

Tristan Vukcevic opened the second quarter with a three-pointer and Lessort added a dunk before Szymon Tomczak and D'Mitrik Trice gave Slask some life, cutting it to 22-36. But LeDay drove for a layup and Vukcevic for a dunk. A second-chance triple from Punter made it 22-43. Before the end of the half, Punter nailed three more mid-range jumpers, but layups from Kanter and a triple from Kodi Justice helped make it 31-50 at the break.

Kanter scored twice inside to open the third quarter, but Koprivica and Zagorac answered with put-backs on the other end. A fastbreak layup from Avramovic helped open a 37-58 lead. Kanter and Karolak put together a 7-0 run to cut into the deficit. After Alen Smailagic and Travis Trice traded three-point plays, Trice strung together 6 more points, including a three-pointer that made it 53-64 after 30 minutes.

 

But hope was short-lived for Slask because Partizan held the hosts without a basket for more than 3 minutes to open the fourth. Madar and LeDay combined to score 5 points before a three-pointer from Dallas Moore made it 53-72. Karolak nailed a three for Slask, but LeDay inside and Madar with a long banked three-pointer made it 56-77. Partizan increased the margin to 22 points before Karolak and Kolenda knocked down triples for the hosts. But the game was long out of hand for Slask, as Partizan did not allow the hosts to get closer than 17 the rest of the way.

Rade Zagorac - Partizan NIS Belgrade (photo Wojciech Cebula - Slask) - EC21

Turk Telekom Ankara returned to the winning column by defeating Dolomiti Energia Trento 82-75 at home on Tuesday to snap a three-game losing streak. 

Turk Telekom rallies past Trento, 82-75

Turk Telekom fought back from a 10-point deficit late in the third quarter to move to 6-8 after having lost five of its last six games. Aubrey Dawkins scored 15 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter for Turk Telekom and Anthony Clemmons and Jared Terrell both scored 13 points. Trento lost its ninth straight game to fall to 1-12. Jordan Caroline scored 15 points, Diego Flaccadori and Cameron Reynolds both had 13 points and Toto Forray chipped in 12 points in the loss.

JaJuan Johnson opened the scoring for the hosts with Forray netting the next 5 points for Trento. After three lead changes, Forray scored another 5 points for a 9-13 lead. Turk Telekom found its rhythm with Alex Perez converting a three-point play and Can Ogut and Clemmons both making triples for a 22-18 cushion after 10 minutes.

Flaccadori’s three-pointer to start the second quarter trimmed the deficit to 1 point only to see Turk Telekom reel off 9 straight points to open the first double-digit lead, 31-21. Jordan Caroline tried to keep Trento in the game with 5 points as the deficit was down to 33-28. Jared Terrell answered with his second three-pointer and a layup to re-establish the 10-point gap, 38-28. The visitors scored the next 5 points and the score was 40-33 at the break.

Trento had the better start to the second half with Flaccadori sandwiching three-pointers around a Reynolds triple to knot the game at 42-42. After Caroline put the visitors up, Samet Geyik hit from deep to give Turk Telekom the lead. The Trento momentum continued with a 0-11 run including 4 points from Caroline and a Luca Conti three-point play for a 47-57 cushion. The hosts responded with the next 7 points - twice Octavius Ellis putting back offensive rebounds - and the gap was 54-59 after 30 minutes.

 

Desonta Bradford knocked down a three-pointer as Trento’s lead reached 56-62 early in the final frame. Turk Telekom fought back and evened the game at 62-62 before Erdi Gulaslan’s corner triple put the hosts back ahead 65-64. Dawkins came up big with a massive dunk and then a three-pointer to put Turk Telekom ahead 72-66. Dawkins added a three-point play and the score was 75-69. Clemmons followed with a jumper and then Dawkins finished off Trento with 3 free throws and an alley-oop dunk.

Samet Geyik - Turk Telekom Ankara (photo Turk Telekom) - EC21-RS16

This is what the protagonists had to say after the Round 16 showdown between Slask Wroclaw and Partizan NIS Belgrade.

Post-game quotes: Slask vs. Partizan

### Zeljko Obradovic, Partizan NIS Belgrade head coach:

"We have experience from the first game against Slask on our court, which was a very difficult and very tough with an opportunity for them to win the game. So we tried to prepare ourselves to play a serious game and I believe we played very serious, from the first moment until some minutes in the third quarter. That was the only time our concentration was down, and Slask is a team that always fights and they tried to come back. This is an important victory for us, congratulations to our players, and good luck to Slask the rest of the season.

"I have on my team a lot of young guys. \[Yam\] Madar is 20. \[Uros\] Trifunovic is 21, \[Alen\] Smailaigic is 21, \[Balsa\] Koprivica is 21, and Tristan Vukcevic is 18. So, they need time. If you see how we did in this game, I try to put them in a position that from the first second to the last second we play a serious game. That's the only way. They are talented players, but they need a lot of work. It is something that makes me happy, that I have an opportunity to work with really young players. On the other side, I am really happy I have guys like Kevin \[Punter\], like Zach \[LeDay\], \[Matthias\] Lessort and Dallas Moore that are experienced players, and they are trying to help the young players. That is very important."

### Andrej Urlep, Slask Wroclaw head coach:

"Congratulations to Partizan. They showed they are definitely one of the teams that will fight for the EuroLeague this season. We started bad. We were not patient on the offensive end. We let them jump on us. We were not supposed to do that. They used our mistakes. First half we committed too many turnovers. Second biggest problem was their offensive boards, but many offensive boards they got because of their size and athleticism. I think in the second half, we played much better, especially in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, again, we opened bad, they outscored us 8-0. They controlled the game, they were better, and that is why they won."

### Kevin Punter, Partizan NIS Belgrade guard:

"We handled our business. It is a much-needed road win. We are still trying to get the first place, but we did what we were supposed to do."

Kevin Punter 2- Partizan NIS Belgrade (photo Wojciech Cebula - Slask) - EC21

Lietkabelis Panevezys took a critical step forward to fight for home-court advantage in the eighthfinals by downing MoraBanc Andorra 88-75 at Cido Arena in Group A on Tuesday. 

Gagic, Orelik lead Lietkabelis over Andorra, 88-75 

Lietkabelis improved to 8-5 in the standings while Andorra dropped to 9-5. Both teams had already qualified for the knock-out rounds. Panagiotis Kalaitzakis, Djordje Gagic and Gediminas Orelik led the winners with 19 points apiece and Vytenis Lipkevicius added 11 for Lietkabelis. Codi Miller-McIntyre paced Andorra with 17 points, Drew Crawford added 15 and Oriol Pauli had 10 for the visitors. Orelik scored 13 first-quarter points and got help from Kalaitzakis to give Lietkabelis a double-digit lead, 29-19, after 10 minutes. The margin was 51-38 at halftime and reached 61-40 soon after the break as the hosts cruised the rest of the way.

Gagic got Lietkabelis going with an alley-oop layup. Orelik and Kalaitzakis each struck from downtown for an 8-0 lead. Victor Arteaga made a jump hook as Andorra entered the foul penalty in just 3 minutes. Miller-McIntyre stepped up with a fastbreak layup and got help from Babatunde Olumuyiwa to bring Andorra within 13-7. Orelik insisted from beyond the arc and Gagic made it 18-11. Orelik kept pushing the hosts and Kalaitzakis buried an off-balance shot for a 25-14 score. Crawford tried to change things for Andorra but Dovydas Giedraitis and Kristupas Zemaitis each nailed a jumper for a 29-19 Lietkabelis edge after 10 minutes.

Conor Morgan sank a three-pointer early in the second quarter and Crawford dunked off a steal for a 29-24 Andorra deficit. Lipkevicius banked in a jump hook and Gagic matched Miller-McIntyre's layup with a jumper. Miller-McIntyre shined for Andorra with back-to-back layups, prompting the hosts to stop the game at 35-30. Kalaitzakis, Kaspars Berzins and Lipkevicius each sank a three-pointer, boosting Lietkabelis's lead to 44-30. Kalaitzakis capped an 11-0 run with a fastbreak layup. Mario Nakic joined the three-point shootout and Miller-McIntyre added layups in an 0-8 run that gave Andorra hope at 46-38. Gagic and Kalaitzakis gave Lietkabelis a 51-38 lead at the break.

Gagic dunked right after the break and Kalaitzakis boosted the margin to 55-38. Gagic bettered Pauli's driving layup with a three-point play and Lipkevicius added a corner triple that broke the game open, 61-40, after a 15-2 Lietkabelis run. Crawford answered from downtown and Pauli followed a dunk with a driving layup to bring Andorra within 64-47. Crawford insisted with a turnaround jumper and a corner three-pointer to give the visitors hope at 65-53. Giedraitis scored in penetration and Gagic added a layup for a 69-55 Lietkabelis margin. Nakic hit a baseline jumper that made it 69-57 after three quarters.

 

Gabrielius Maldunas found his first points early in the fourth quarter. Arteaga beat the shot clock with a jump hook and Morgan buried a three-pointer to bring Andorra within single digits, 71-62. Gagic stepped up with a jump hook which Kalaitzakis followed with a driving layup for a 75-64 Lietkabelis lead. Lipkevicius ignited the crowd with a wild triple and Orelik added a layup-and-one that sealed the outcome, 81-66, with less than 6 minutes left. Giedraitis found space for an uncontested layup and Berzins buried a three-pointer that sealed the outcome, 86-70, as Andorra never recovered.

Lietkabelis Panevezys v MoraBanc Andorra (2022-03-22T17:00:00.000Z)

Djordje Gagic - Lietkabelis Panevezys (photo Karolio Kavolelio - Lietkabelis) EC21-RS16

This is what the protagonists had to say after the Round 16 showdown between Lietkabelis Panevezys and MoraBanc Andorra.

Post-game quotes: Lietkabelis vs. Andorra

### Lietkabelis Panevezys head coach Nenad Canak:

"Of course, it can always be better, but I am satisfied because we won against a very good team. We won by more points difference than we won there, and of course, it was a very tough game, but tonight we had great support from our fans. I hope that they will continue supporting us in the decisive part of the season. It is always like this: in the first few offenses, you can see how your team is focused, and how it follows the rules, and today, we were good in that segment except the transition defense in the first half. Like I said, \[fan support\] means a lot to us. We feel their support and I hope they will continue and come in an even bigger number.

"We started well defensively - in halfcourt offense, we managed to stop Miller-McIntyre, but we especially had problems with transition defense. They scored a lot of points in transition after our scores, they made a fast transition and scored. That is not acceptable at this level. In the second half, somehow we solved that and beat a tough team by more than 5 points difference. We have a real chance to be in the first four in our group."

### MoraBanc Andorra head coach David Eudal:

"We started bad again with a bad first quarter. We let them do what they are used to doing, score a lot of points. We were not tough enough on defense as they were. They were very tough and played with a lot of contact. We didn't match their energy and toughness until the second quarter, and after that, we tried to compete in the second half. We were recovering, and it was difficult to come back. And they played well and held their advantage. We have to learn from it and try to start better in our next games."

### Lietkabelis Panevezys center Djordje Gagic: 

"We had a tough trip to Badalona and after that, we also had a tough game. But we had time to recover and prepare the game. And on the court, we won. The beginning of the game \[was important\] and also how we started the second half. That was so important - we stayed as a team, fighting as a team and building everything from our defense. That was the key. " 

Nenad Canak - Lietkabelis Panevezys - (photo David Grau - Joventut) EC21-RS15

This is what the protagonists had to say after the Round 16 showdown between Turk Telekom Ankara and Dolomiti Energia Trento.

Post-game quotes: Turk Telekom vs. Trento

### Henrik Rodl, Turk Telekom Ankara head coach: 

“The guys fought. Give credit to them. Congratulate them for this very important win. I know it’s somewhat expected that we beat Trento at home but the way we’ve been playing lately and the tough loss we had on Saturday to come back, down 10 in the third quarter and to win this game is very big for our team, for our confidence, also for knowing how to turn games around and what we need to do going forward.”

### Emanuele Molin, Dolomiti Energia Trento head coach: 

“After we got the lead by 10 points we had too many turnovers. That is the key to the loss. Nothing else.”

### Anthony Clemmons, Turk Telekom Ankara guard: 

“We knew that we had to come out with energy. We just had a tough, devastating loss this past Saturday. We just wanted to redeem ourselves and come out and fight the way we know how to fight. We had a tough stretch after the break but now I think we are back on track. This win was very important for us in the EuroCup. I’m just happy for my team. We all fought. This was a team win. We needed this one.”

Anthony Clemmons - Turk Telekom Ankara (photo Turk Telekom) - EC21-RS16

Here are some insightful comments about the game from the protagonists themselves.

Pre-game quotes: Gran Canaria vs. Buducnost

### Buducnost VOLI Podgorica head coach Aleksandar Dzikic:

"They are first in our group, their results are proof of their quality. Both teams are different than they were in our first match. They are an aggressive open court team, with good shooters and players with iso qualities. Their bigs are a challenge for every opponent, changing the game on both ends."

### Buducnost VOLI Podgorica player, Justin Cobbs:

"A difficult game awaits us against the team atop the group standings. There are only three rounds left in the group stage and every game is important because of the position on the table. Gran Canaria has proven how good they are and they’ve been at the top of the group whole season. We both enter the game from defeats and are eager to turn things around. It is important that we come out with our best focus and with great energy, to give everything to win on the road."

Gran Canaria v Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (2022-03-23T20:00:00.000Z)

Dylan Ennis - Gran Canaria (photo Buducnost) - EC21