Galatasaray escapes Belgrade with crucial win

In a clash of two team most depleted by injuries this season, Galatasaray Liv Hospital Istanbul hit 12 three-pointers to hold on and defeat Partizan NIS Belgrade 70-78 on Thursday night in the Serbian capital. The win improved Galatasaray to 3-4 and fifth place in Group E, while Partizan dropped to 1-6 in last place. The hosts led by Bogdan Bogdanovic and Joffrey Lauvergne built a 31-22 lead, but Henry Domercan, Erden Arslan and Furkan Aldemir fueled a 4-19 spurt that put Galatasaray in control. The visitors had a 37-43 lead at halftime, and never relinquished it. Energy from the crowd fed Partizan, and it got within 64-69 in the fourth quarter, but Carlos Arroyo sank back-to-back triples to seal it. Domercant paced Galatasaray with 18 points, Arroyo finished with 16, while Arslan had 10 points plus 6 assists. Aldemir contributed with 9 points, 6 rebounds and career-high 6 blocks in victory. Bogdanovic netted 23 with 6 rebounds and 6 assists for the hosts. Lauvergne amassed 15 points plus 15 rebounds, Milenko Tepic scored 13, and Dejan Musli 12 points in defeat.

First quarter: Partizan builds a lead through Lauvergne and Bogdanovic

Partizan got to a quick start with Tepic and Bogdanovic scoring inside. Galatasaray opened its tally with a jumper from Domercant, but Nikola Milutinov and Bogdanovic nailed jumpers on the other end for an 8-2 lead. Arroyo got a roll on a jump shot, and threw a pass to Malik Hairston for an alley-oop dunk, but Bogdanovic nailed a triple and Tepic made a basket for 13-6. The visitors answered with Hairston driving to the hoop, before Milan Macvan and Arroyo buried back-to-back three-pointers, helping the visitors to within 13-16. Mihajilo Andric snapped a 0-10 run by hitting a jumper with his toes on the 6.75-meter line, and Tepic raced for an uncontested fastbreak layup to put Partizan back in front. A big dunk-plus-free throw from Lauvergne capped a 7-0 run for a 20-16 edge. With both teams in a good rhythm, Macvan made a put-back, but Lauvergne hit a jumper for the hosts. Dejan Musli contributed with a dunk and a jumper to put Partizan up by 6, but Arroyo hit another jump shot in the final seconds of the quarter, making it 26-22 after 10 minutes.

Second quarter: Galatasary takes control with a 4-19 run

Lauvergne started the second quarter with a fastbreak dunk, and Bogdanovic added a jumper for a 31-22 difference. But Ender Arslan hit a shot for the visitors, sparking a 0-9 run during which Domercant nailed a triple and Aldemir added a two-handed slam to tie the game. Musli answered with a big two-handed dunk of his own, but Sinan Guler hit a three-pointer to give Galatasaray a 33-34 edge. Bogdanovic had another dunk for the hosts after a give-and-go with Musli, but Arslan’s fastbreak layup and Domercant’s triple got Galatasaray in front 35-41. Aldemir took control of his own paint, blocking a pair of shots, and Guler extended the difference to 8 points with a fastbreak layup before a floater from Boris Dallo made it 37-43 at the halftime.

Third quarter: Visitors grab control with long-range shots

Tepic hit a jump shot, and Lauvergne made a reverse layup at the start of the half, but Aldemir scored from close range. Arroyo added a long pull-up jumper, and Domercant nailed a triple for a 41-50 lead. Partizan tried its 1-3-1 zone defense, but Hairston’s put-back gave the visitors their first double-digit lead of the night. Tepic replied from downtown to snap a 0-9 run, and followed it with long jumper to get within 46-52. Domercant stopped the hosts’ momentum with a steal and a fastbreak dunk, but Musli had a jumper and a put-back to get Partizan to 50-54. Aldemir had a put-back on the other end, before Cenk Akyol and Domercant nailed one apiece from long range for Galatasaray, which led 53-62 after three quarters.

Fourth quarter: Arroyo’s triples put the game away

Arslan’s triple made it a 12-point affair, 53-65, but the hosts answered with 6 straight points as Lauvergne and Bogdanovic scored from close range. Arslan and Bogdanovic traded triples midway through the quarter to make it 62-68. After free throws from Bogdanovic got Partizan within 5 points, Arroyo nailed back-to-back triples for a 64-75 lead with two minutes to go. Musli scored for the hosts, but Aldemir sealed it with a basket-plus-free throw.