2020-21Top 16Round 1
Partizan NIS Belgrade 71
Dolomiti Energia Trento 43
January 13, 2021 CET: 20:30
Local time: 20:30 HALA SPORTOVA RANKO ZERAVICA

Partizan's defense suffocates Trento

Partizan NIS Belgrade made a statement in the first game of the Top 16 by holding off visiting Dolomiti Energia Trento 71-43 at Hala Sportova Ranko Zeravica on Wednesday night. The hosts amassed a double-digit lead, 15-5, early in the first quarter and held the visitors to only 14 points in the second and third quarters combined to cruise to an overwhelming win. Partizan was led by William Mosley, who collected 12 points, 7 rebounds and 4 blocks for a PIR of 22, while Joshua Perkins had a remarkable debut in the 7Days Eurocup by tallying 11 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists. JaCorey Williams was the only Trento player able to score in double figures with 15 points, to which he added 8 rebounds.

Both teams had slow starts, as nobody managed to score in the first 2 minutes. Codi Miller-McIntyre got the hosts going providing all of his team's points in a 6-0 run. Consecutive three-pointers by Paige and Nemanja Dangubic extended the lead to 15-5 midway through the first quarter. Perkins helped Partizan keep a 20-10 edge soon after, as Zagorac scored twice to close the first quarter with the hosts in front, 24-16. Perkins showed up again to hit a three that set a 27-16 advantage early in the second, as Trento struggled to find its offensive rhythm. Andrea Mezzanote got a couple of buckets inside to make it 29-20, but those were the only points for the visitors in the quarter. The hosts did not perform much better offensively, though, but Perkins managed to break Trento’s defense with a layup and a deep three to send the game to the locker room with the home team in full control, 35-20.

Williams tried to reactivate Trento after the break, but he found no help from any of his teammates as Partizan only needed a jumper by Miller-McIntyre and a three by Dangubic to keep a comfortable 40-24 lead. Mosley took over then with three alley-oop dunks in a row and a pair of free throws to make it even bigger, 49-28, after 28 minutes. Free throws by Nikola Jankovic, Eric Mika and Perkins capped a 10-2 run to close the third quarter with a robust 24-point margin for Partizan. Mezzanote and Gary Browne hit from deep early in the fourth quarter and Williams followed with a three-point play to make it 57-41, but it proved insufficient to spark a reaction. Rashawn Thomas and Dangubic scored inside, whole Paige showed up from behind the arc to extend the distance to 66-43 soon after, putting the game on ice.

Locked rim

The hosts took the lead from the very beginning, but it was right after the first quarter when they broke the game by putting on an extraordinary defensive effort. Partizan held its opponent to just 4 points in the second quarter and to only 10 in the third. The result was Trento’s lowest scoring mark ever in the competition.

Not bad for a rookie

Joshua Perkins made his debut in the 7Days EuroCup and had a strong impact in the game. He used the first ball he got to toss a spectacular assist to William Mosley for an alley-oop dunk and finished as Partizan's second-best performer with 11 points, 5 boards and 6 assists for a PIR of 18… in just 18 minutes!

Key performer

In addition to that welcoming alley-oop dunk, William Mosley found no resistance to destroy the rim several times, ruling under the boards all game long. He strung together three more alley-oop dunks in the third quarter to bury Trento after halftime, also adding 4 blocks to prove his dominance above the rim.

Next round

Both teams return to EuroCup action next week. Partizan travels to France to face Bolougne Metropolitans 92 on Tuesday, January 19. A day later, Dolomiti Energia Trento hosts Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar.

Joshua Perkins - Partizan NIS Belgrade (photo Partizan - Dragana Stjepanovic) - EC20
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
Eurocupbasketball.com
Referees: PERUGA, CARLOS; BALAK, AMIT; ISGUDER, SINAN
Attendance: 124
By Quarter1234
Partizan NIS Belgrade24111917
Dolomiti Energia Trento1641013
End of Quarter1234
Partizan NIS Belgrade24355471
Dolomiti Energia Trento16203043
Partizan NIS Belgrade
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
00 MIKA, ERIC 21:55 4 1/5 0/1 2/2 1 3 4       1 1 1 3 5
0 MILLER-MCINTYRE, CODI 23:20 9 4/6 0/2 1/2   8 8 4 1 1     2 2 16
3 ZAGORAC, RADE 21:40 5 2/4 0/2 1/2 1 4 5 1 1 2   1   1 5
5 PAIGE, MARCUS 32:56 9   3/6   1   1 2   1     1   7
6 DANGUBIC, NEMANJA 22:34 8 1/2 2/4     1 1 4         3   7
9 STEFANOVIC, LAZAR DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
12 VELICKOVIC, NOVICA DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
13 PERKINS, JOSHUA 18:06 11 1/2 2/3 3/5 1 4 5 6 2 2     2 2 18
21 JANKOVIC, NIKOLA 11:40 8 3/6   2/4 3 3 6     2   2 3 2 4
25 THOMAS, RASHAWN 18:05 5 2/4 0/2 1/2   4 4   1 3 1   4 2 1
32 TRIFUNOVIC, UROS 1:24   0/1                         -1
42 MOSLEY , WILLIAM 28:20 12 4/6   4/4 2 5 7   1 1 4 1 2 4 22
Team           3 2 5     1         4
Totals 200:00 71 18/36 7/20 14/21 12 34 46 17 6 13 6 5 18 16 88
        50% 35% 66.7%
Head coach: FILIPOVSKI, SASO
Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
Dolomiti Energia Trento
  Rebounds Blocks Fouls
# Player Min Pts 2FG 3FG FT O D T As St To Fv Ag Cm Rv PIR
7 PASCOLO, DAVIDE 10:01 3 0/1 1/3     1 1       1 1 2   -1
8 CONTI, LUCA 8:59 2 1/1     1 1 2     1     1   2
9 BROWNE, GARY 29:58 7 0/8 2/6 1/2 4 3 7 5   2       6 10
10 FORRAY, TOTO 20:21   0/3 0/4     2 2 2   1     1 2 -3
11 SANDERS, VICTOR 24:28 4 2/6 0/3 0/1 1 2 3   1 4 1 1   3 -1
14 MEZZANOTTE, ANDREA 18:35 5 1/1 1/3     3 3 2 1       2   7
20 MORGAN, JEREMY 27:23   0/1 0/5   1 2 3 1         3 4 -1
22 WILLIAMS, JACOREY 29:08 15 7/13   1/1 5 3 8 1 1 1 1 3 1 2 17
23 LADURNER, MAXIMILIAN 8:58 2 1/1     1   1       1   2   2
32 MAYE, LUKE 22:09 5 1/5 1/6   1 2 3 3   1 1 1 4 1 -2
Team           2 1 3     2         1
Totals 200:00 43 13/40 5/30 2/4 16 20 36 14 3 12 5 6 16 18 31
        32.5% 16.7% 50%
Head coach: BRIENZA, NICOLA

Head Coaches

FILIPOVSKI, SASO
Partizan NIS Belgrade
"Congratulations to my players for the approach. We prepared good for this game, we executed on the floor what we prepared. I’m really happy for the guys, they are working hard in practices. We are searching our constant shape. We lost some difficult games in the ABA League and we are working very hard to improve, to show our value. I hope they, my players, will see now they have potential, they have strength. We must break this feeling, the anxiety, and fight for the 40 minutes... Today it was the defense we wanted, to run, and to share the ball. Of course, the addition of Josh [Perkins], was helpful for us in the creation, and with the passing. I know this team missed a pick-and-roll payer, who can score, and especially pass. You can be either a point guard or a scorer, but he is both, so he is a great help."
BRIENZA, NICOLA
Dolomiti Energia Trento
"First of all I want to congratulate Partizan because they played really good, they fought a lot. About us, we tried to do our best. In defense we suffered against the pick-and-roll they played with Perkins and Mosley. We tried to cover the rest of the options of Partizan, but of course, our problem was in offense. In the first half I think we had like five, six or seven open shots we missed, and to compete at this level you must score those opportunities. At the end, we tried to do our best, but it’s the first game and there are five more games to try to improve, both in offense and defense."

Players

MOSLEY , WILLIAM
Partizan NIS Belgrade
"It feels pretty good. We needed a game like this to come up early, make a statement for the Top 16, so we need to focus on the next one. [To play with a lot of energy] That’s what I do, every game I try to give it all I can, to play to the best of my abilities and use as much of my energy it takes to help my team win. It was great first game for [Josh Perkins] and he tossed his first ball to me for an alley-oop dunk! To me, he is great player, actually, a great point guard."