Partizan beats Limoges to stay undefeated

Partizan NIS Belgrade remained the only undefeated team in the 2019-20 7DAYS EuroCup by downing Limoges CSP 60-82 at Palais des Sports de Beaublanc in Group B on Wednesday. Partizan improved to 5-0 and will qualify to the Top 16 with its next win, regardless of other results. Limoges dropped to 1-4. Rashawn Thomas led the winners with 16 points, Marcus Paige added 14, Nemanja Gordic had 13 and William Mosley 11 for Partizan. Hugo Invernizzi led Limoges with 13 points, Nicolas Lang scored 12 and Semaj Christon 11 for the hosts. Three-pointers by Invernizzi, Lang and Timothe Crusol helped Limoges to a 25-16 margin after 10 minutes. Paige and Gordic led a 0-10 run that gave Partizan its first lead, 25-26, soon after that. Rade Zagorac and Zanis Peiners fueled another 0-10 run that boosted the visitors' lead to 32-36 at halftime. Partizan improved its defense after the break and Gordic, Paige and Ognjen Jaramaz gave the visitors a very safe margin, 40-56, after 30 minutes. Nothing changed after that, as Partizan cruised to a well-deserved win.

Invernizzi struck twice from downtown and Lang added another three-pointer in an 11-2 opening run that caused Partizan to call timeout at 11-2. Thomas stepped up with a three-point play, but Conklin and Christon made it a double-digit game, 15-5. Mosley hit a jumper and Thomas added a three-pointer, but back-to-back layups by Vincent Sanford ignited a 7-0 run, which Lang capped with a triple, good for a 22-10 Limoges lead. Gordic and Paige fueled a 0-6 Partizan run, but Crusol sank one from beyond the arc to keep the hosts ahead, 25-16, after 10 minutes. Paige took over with 7 unanswered points, including a couple of floaters, early in the second quarter. Gordic added a three-pointer to give Partizan its first lead, 25-26, after a 0-10 run. It didn't last long, however, as Christon hit a triple and added a couple of assists in a 7-0 run that saw Limoges regain the lead, 32-26. Stefan Bircevic dunked, igniting a 0-10 run in which Zagorac and Peiners each had 4 points for a 32-36 Partizan edge at halftime.

Conklin scored down low soon after the break, but Limoges was held scoreless in the next 6 minutes. Meanwhile, Jaramaz and Thomas sparked a 0-12 run in which a layup by Nikola Jankovic and a three-pointer by Paige broke the game open, 34-48. Christon struck twice from beyond the arc, but Gordic and Peiners kept Partizan way ahead, 40-52. A put-back slam by Mosley and a layup by Gordic broke the game open, 40-56, after 30 minutes. Sanford tried to change things with 4 quick points early in the fourth quarter and Invernizzi added a three-pointer, but Jaramaz and Mosley answered for a 47-64 lead with less than 6 minutes left. Back-to-back baskets by Thomas sealed the outcome, 53-70, as Limoges never recovered.

Pivotal performer

Mosley was a defensive wall and really efficient on offense, contributing on both sides of the floor. He finished the game with 11 points on 5-of-6 two-point shooting plus 9 rebounds (5 of them on the offensive end), an assist, a steal and 3 blocks for a PIR of 21.

Game-changing moment

Partizan led 34-36 right after the break but managed to keep Limoges scoreless for 6 long minutes. Meanwhile, Jaramaz, Gordic and Paige fueled a 0-12 run that gave the visitors a 34-48 margin, enough to control the game until the final buzzer.

Stellar stat

Partizan outrebounded Limoges by 27-43, pulling down 15 offensive boards. Partizan hit 30-of-45 two-point shots, three times as many shots inside the arc as its opponents tonight. Limoges hit 10-of-35 two-point attempts (28.6%), which made the difference in the game.

Did you notice?

Ten two-point shots made are an all-time low in the EuroCup for Limoges. It had previously scored 11 shots inside the arc against UNICS Kazan on January 9, 2018. Its two-point shooting percentage (28.6%) was also an all-time low for the French powerhouse; it had never shot less than 30% inside the arc.

Next game

Both teams return to 7DAYS EuroCup action next week. Partizan hosts Umana Reyer Venice on Tuesday, November 5. A day later, Limoges hosts Tofas Bursa.