Meacham lifts Nanterre past Partizan in critical game

JSF Nanterre took a critical step towards reaching the Top 16 in Group A by edging Partizan NIS Belgrade 62-61 at home on Thursday. Nanterre improved to 3-4 to stay in fourth place while Partizan dropped to 1-6. Trent Meacham led the winners with 14 pointsm including the go-ahead free throws with 5.9 seconds to go. David Lighty and Will Daniels each added 11 for Nanterre. Dragan Milosavljevic led Partizan with 16 points. Bogdan Bogdanovic and Tarence Kinsey each added 12 for the guests, which downed 11-of-21 three-point shots tonight. A put-back layup by Dejan Musli gave Partizan a 17-19 lead after 10 minutes. Great defense and an outstanding Lighty allowed Nanterre to get a 35-29 margin at halftime. A rain of three-pointers brought Partizan back in the game and another one by Bogdanovic put Partizan ahead, 58-59, with 3 minutes left. Milosavljevic sank a five-meter shot but Partizan went scoreless in the final 90 seconds, in which Daniels and Meacham gave Nanterre the lead. Partizan had a chance to win the game but Milosavljevic missed a long two-pointer at the buzzer.

First quarter: big men give Partizan an edge

Meacham got Nanterre going with a driving layup that Kinsey erased with a five-meter jumper. Daniels buried an off-balance shot and a driving basket by Jeremy Nzeulie gave the hosts a 6-2 lead. Nikola Milutinov sank a jumper which a red hot Nzeulie bettered with a corner three-pointer. Milosavljevic answered from downtown and Boris Dallo banked in a mid-range shot to tie it 9-9. Daniels finished a hustle play with free throws which Bogdanovic copied at the other end. Meacham kept pacing Nanterre with another driving basket and a three-pointer by Dallo gave Partizan its first lead, 13-14. Daniels took over with a tip-in, as Nanterre improved its defense late in the first quarter. Joffrey Lauvergne rescued the guests with a corner three-pointer and free throws by Marc Judith tied it at 17-17. A put-back layup by Musli put Partizan back ahead, 17-19, at the end of the first quarter.

Second quarter: Intensity, defense put Nanterre ahead

Both teams struggled to score early in the second quarter, as Nanterre called timeout to adjust its offense. The hosts kept missing open shots, however, and free throws by Bogdanovic made it a four-point game, 17-21. DeShaun Thomas tried to change things with a baseline jumper and a floating jump hook by Ali Traore tied the game again, 21-21. A three-pointer by Thomas forced coach Dusan Vujosevic to call timeout at 24-21, after a 7-0 run. Lauvergne scored down low but Lighty answered from downtown for a 27-23 Nanterre lead. The hosts kept playing aggressive at both end and a put-back slam by Lighty ignited the crowd at 29-23. Kinsey stepped up with a corner three-pointer and Milosavljevic bettered Jo Passave-Ducteil's close basket with his own shot from downtown to bring the guests within 31-29. Lighty joined the three-point shootout and a free throw by Passave-Ducteil fixed the halftime score at 35-29.

Third quarter: three-pointers keep Partizan alive

Meacham struck from downtown immediately after the break but Kinsey buried his second three-pointer and fed Milosavljevic for a fast break layup that brought Partizan a bit closer, 38-34. Dejan Musli scored down low to make it a two-point game, 38-36, after a 0-7 run. Nzeulie stepped up with a triple, as Nanterre adjusted its defense to put pressure on Bogdanovic at point guard. Partizan found a new go-to guy in Milosavljevic, who buried back-to-back three-pointers to put the guests back ahead, 41-42. Traore downed a jump hook and followed that with a slam for a 45-42 Nanterre edge. Partizan could not find the way to the basket for more than 2 minutes until Djordje Gagic hit a close jumper for a 45-44 score. Lighty shined with a second-chance basket but Kinsey fired in another one from beyond the arc to tie the game, 47-47, at the end of the third quarter.

Fourth quarter: down to the wire!

Bogdanovic nailed a three-pointer from the top of the key early in the fourth quarter and a free throw by Kinsey gave Partizan a 47-51 lead. Traore stepped up with a backdoor layup that a red hot Bogdanovic matched with a five-meter jumper off the dribble. Gagic took over with a layup`in transition that forced Nanterre to stop the game at 49-55. Meacham beat the shot clock buzzer with an off-balance jumper and soon added a three-pointer that kept Nanterre within 54-55 with 6 minutes left. Partizan kept struggling to score and Daniels beat the guests' zone defense with a triple that put Nanterre back ahead, 57-55. Lauvergne and Lighty split free throws and Bogdanovic nailed a huge step-back triple for a 58-59 Partizan edge. Milosavljevic finished a long Partizan offense with a jumper but Daniels answered with a put-back basket. Je'Kel Foster missed a three-point shot already in the final minute but a steal by Daniels gave Nanterre the ball back. Meacham drew a foul and made free throws with 5.9 seconds left to put Nanterre ahead, 62-61. Partizan called timeout but Milosavljevic missed a six-meter shot almost at the buzzer.