The two players combined for 43 points in a 92-85 win over Bayern on Thursday
Duane Washington, Tyrique Jones power Partizan to first win of post-Zeljko Obradovic era
Game Report
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 14 of 38
Regular Season
Partizan Mozzart Bet BelgradePAR
9285
FC Bayern MunichBAY
Overview
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A huge chapter came to a close for Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade earlier this week as legendary head coach Zeljko Obradovic parted ways with the club. The news sent shockwaves across European basketball, making the turning of the page a particularly challenging task for interim coach Mirko Ocokoljic and the players.
As if that weren't enough, Thursday’s game against FC Bayern Munich didn't start as Partizan may have hoped. Desperate for a victory that would end its four-game losing slide, the guests hit the ground running by dominating the boards and firing on all cylinders from beyond the arc to secure a 36-43 lead at halftime.
But when the Serbian side needed them the most, Duane Washington and Tyrique Jones came to the fore. The Partizan center was unstoppable in the paint, bagging 9 third-quarter points to take his tally to 17. His eighth bucket of the night gave Partizan a 57-55 lead with 1:33 to go in the third.
Enter a red-hot Washington, who nailed 7 straight points, including back-to-back triples, for Partizan’s largest lead (64-58) to that point. Partizan opened a double-digit advantage in the opening stages of the fourth quarter, but Bayern seemed unwilling to throw in the towel.
Led by former Partizan forward Vladimir Lucic and Spencer Dinwiddie, the German side went on a 2-15 run that brought it within 79-77 with 3:20 remaining. Isiaha Mike respond to a Jabari Parker triple by scoring inside as Bayern stayed in the game.
And then came the dagger by none other than Washington himself. The Partizan guard pulled up from beyond the arc and drained a season-high fifth triple of the night to practically finish the game off.
“The guys did a great job,” Ocokoljic told EuroLeague TV. “I’m so thankful to these guys. It was not easy to prepare for this game. It was a tough week behind us. We were talking about this game a lot, how we need to play and be focused on basketball, on things that Bayern is doing on defense and offense. And somehow in the second half, things started to work much better than in the first.”
What changed after the break was Partizan’s hustle mentality on both ends of the floor. The hosts ended the game with 14 offensive rebounds and forced as many as 17 turnovers, earning extra valuable possessions that translated into 20 points off Bayern errors.
On the offensive end, Washington scored 22 points and distributed 6 assists in just under 18 minutes. For his part, Jones went 9 for 11 from inside the arc for a season-high 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to complete his third double-double of the season, with Partizan clinching a 92-85 victory. The two men also produced magic on multiple occasions, with Jones making the most of Washington’s dishes to work his way onto the highlight reel.
“I’m just proud of us,” Washington said after the game. “We stuck together. We fought. We needed this really bad. We went out there and did what we had to do.”
Partizan kicked off the post-Obradovic era with its fifth win of the season – a victory that will serve as a boost in morale ahead of the upcoming derby against high-flying Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade. Should Washington and Jones carry their momentum into next week’s clash, Partizan will have two players it knows can be relied upon when circumstances become demanding.
