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Partizan basketball team have performed another miracle in a fabulous game in Belgrade. The Serbian champions once again surpassed themselves to beat Barcelona ahead of a record Pionir Arena crowd after two very different halves in Game 2 of the Euroleague Top 16 stage.
Partizan pulled off a brave conclusion to the game after Barcelona had managed to recover, and the game was in the end spiced with an overtime and referees' video review. Partizan eventually won 67-66 (23-12, 12-12, 8-23, 18-14, 6-5).
Partizan - Barcelona 67:66
(23:12, 12:12, 8:23, 18:14, 6:5)
Venue: Pionir. Attendance: 8,125. Referees: Lamonica (ITA), Zamojski (POL), Mikhaylov (RUS).
PARTIZAN: Roberts 12, Sinovec, McCalebb 4, Kecman 5, Stevan Milosevic 2, Strahinja Milosevic 2, Rasic 11, Mitrovic 2, Bozic 10, Vesely 13, Djekic, Vranes 6.
BARCELONA: Basile 7, Trias, Rubio 8, Lakovic 14, Navarro 7, Vasquez 2, Ndong 8, Morris 2, Sada, Lorbek 10, Mickeal 8, Grimau.
An all-time high of 8,125 fans turned up for Barcelona's visit in Belgrade at Partizan's Pionir Arena home venue and the faithful fans got what they had secretly hoped for. Vranes opened the scoring from close range, which Partizan went on to build into a 10-0 initial lead, owing to some incredible defending. Barcelona had very few second balls when on the attack as Partizan - led by captain Petar Bozic - found their way to the opposition's basket with ease.
It took the Catalan side three minutes of play to score their first basket as mayhem continued both on the court and on the stands. Barca pulled up at 12-6, but Partizan's Vesely hit a three-pointer to increase the lead.
Jaka Lakovic was the only one who kept Barcelona alive at that time, but his three-pointers were only good enough for the Spaniards to reduce the deficit to 23-12 after the first period. Xavier Pascual's side were scrappy on the attack, managing to get only 17 percent of shots for two and 29 percent of shots for three points.
There were more errors on both sides in the second quarter, but Partizan kept the ten-point lead. Although Barcelona managed to connect a few baskets, Partizan responded in style through Rasic and Vesely. Eventually, Partizan had a few hasty attacks and lost some cheap balls to allow Barcelona to go on a 6-1 mini-run. That was not enough for the Spaniards to cut the deficit to a one-figure point difference, as Partizan led 35-24 at halftime.
05.02.10
However, Partizan's game dissolved in the third period and Barcelona pounced on the opportunity. Although he was visibly nervous and off-colour, Barcelona shooting guard Juan Carlos Navarro hit a three-pointer to announce Barcelona's spell of upped game. The Spaniards nullified four consecutive attacks from Partizan, and, going on a 10-0 run, levelled the score at 40-40 with Basile's three-pointer 3:45 from time in the third period.
The high-tempo game now suited the visitors perfectly as Barcelona took a first lead at 47-43 ahead of the final ten minutes of play.
Partizan were nerous, Vesely was found guilty of a flagrant foul and the Serbian team's misery was piled on with another three-pointer from Jaka Lakovic, to make it 54-45 for Barcelona. Five minutes from time Partizan's Petar Bozic netted a three-pointer for 54-49 and signalled the team's wakeup call in the decisive moments of the game. What followed were two fine defensive displays and two productive attacks, with Vranes dunking to make ti 56-53.
Milosevic's tap-in and a true ecstatic atmosphere on the terraces three minutes from time displaced pressure from Partizan onto the visitors. Rasic added another three-pointer and a latest upset was on the horizon with Partizan leading 58-56 with 2:22 left on the clock.
Roberts continued the open-play series of points (61-56) and Navarro responded from the free-throw line. Partizan had a key turnover in the next attack, while Lakovic scored a three-pointer on the breakaway to level the score at 61-61. With that the final basket of the regular part of the game, it went to overtime.
Barcelona played better, but Partizan managed to scrape through and enter the final 60 seconds with the visitors leading only 66-65. Rasic then had a three-point attempt, missed, but a decisive rebound went Lawrence Robert's way.
A little more than 21 seconds before the buzzer, Rasic kept his nerve to score both free-throws (67-66) and then Partizan shocked their opponents by switching to the zonal defence during Barcelona's final attack. Mickeal shot, the time was up and the Pionir Arena went crazy.
However, the drama continued as the referees convened around the match officials' desk in order to review the video of Barcelona's final attempt on basket. As the split-seconds were ticking away, the ball after Mickeal's shot danced on the rim, the buzzer was sounded and then Partizan's Lawrence Roberts swiped the ball of the hoop without touching the rim. The referees then confirmed Partizan had staged another major European upset by beating Barcelona, one of the top favourites - if not the favourite - to win this season's edition of Euroleague.
On Matchday 1 Partizan made their first big feat by beating reigning Euroleague champions Panathinaikos away 64-59, while Barcelona beat Maroussi at home 79-69 in their opening game of the Top 16 phase.
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