Limoges pulls away late to beat Partizan

Limoges CSP evened its record in the 7DAYS EuroCup with a 92-83 victory over Partizan NIS Belgrade on Tuesday night at Palais Des Sports De Beaublanc. Brian Conklin scored half the points in a 10-0 fourth-quarter run that gave the hosts a 14-point lead, from which Partizan never recovered. The result saw Limoges climb to 2-2 in Group C, while Partizan fell to 1-3. Axel Bouteille paced the winners with 21 points, Mam Jaiteh posted 18 points and 7 rebounds, Danny Gibson scored 12, Conklin finished with 11 and Kenny Haynes produced 9 points, 9 assists and 3 steals for the winners. Limoges outrebounded Partizan 35-23. Patrick Miller paced Partizan with 17 points and 5 assists, Nigel Williams-Goss had 14 points and 8 assists, Vanja Marinkovic also scored 14 and Strahinja Gavrilovoc added 10. Partizan was undone by its three-point shooting (3 of 17; 17.6%).

Limoges came out strong with Josh Carter delivering a pair of assists and William Howard connecting from deep for a 7-2 lead. Howard added another three before Jaiteh’s block started a fast break that Bouteille finished with an emphatic slam for a 16-8 advantage. Doko Salic and Marko Cakarevic got Partizan back in the game at 22-18 after 10 minutes. Andrea Stevanovic’s triple brought the visitors within 2 early in the second quarter. Haynes gave Limoges some breathing room, but Miller and Williams-Goss closed the gap again before Gavrilovoc tied it at 39-39. Haynes set up Jaiteh for a slam and Bouteille for a fast break layup that helped Limoges to a 47-41 halftime lead.

Partizan kept it close in the third quarter with Salic brining the visitors within 51-49 after a few minutes. Bouteille answered with a three-pointer, but soon came a three by Marinkovic after which Gavrilovic tied the game at 58-58. Then Cakarevic pushed the visitors ahead with free throws that made it 61-63. Jean-Frederic Morency had half the point in an 8-0 Limoges run that put the hosts back in control. Threes by Miller and Marinkovic kept Partizan close, 71-68, through three quarters. Howard started the fourth quarter with a three-pointer that proved to be a sign of things to come. After Williams-Goss’s mid-range jumper made it 76-72, Limoges scored the next 10 points – including 5 by Conklin – to put Partizan on the ropes. The visitors never threw in the towel, but ran out of time as Limoges defended its home court and celebrated the victory.