Partizan, in the tenth round of the regional competition, visited Zeleznik, where they faced FMP. The black-and-white team achieved an extremely convincing victory with a score of 105-61.
Partizan played without the quartet of Uros Trifunovic, P.J. Dozier, Frank Kaminsky, and Danilo Andjusic. Trifunovic is dealing with a knee injury, while the remaining trio rested for the double EuroLeague program.
Although FMP took an early lead of 4-0, Partizan then dominated, mainly thanks to the performance of captain Kevin Punter. The black-and-white team created an 18-0 run for a significant lead. Bruno Caboclo played exceptionally well, scoring eight points and grabbing eight rebounds in the early stages of the game. After ten minutes of play, Partizan led 23-10.
Partizan continued with aggressive defense and effective attacks in the second quarter. Tristan Vukcevic extended the lead to a significant plus 18 with a dunk and a three-pointer (28-10). There was only one team on the court throughout the rest of the game.
James Nunnally had 11 points and seven assists at halftime, Balsa Koprivica found his rhythm, and it’s noteworthy that Partizan made 18 out of 20 two-point attempts. The black-and-white team led 53-19 before the continuation of the duel.
Things didn’t change at all in the second half of the game. Kevin Punter continued where he left off in the first half, while FMP fought to score, despite a more aggressive approach and the fact that they didn’t want to surrender. The black-and-white team consistently maintained a lead of around 40 points, leading to the largest margin of 79-33 before the final ten minutes.
In the fourth quarter, young Savo Drezgic entered the game and took the opportunity to contribute, hitting a three-pointer for an 82-35 lead. It was crystal clear who would secure the victory, and the only question mark was the final score by which the black-and-white team would record their seventh win of the season, while FMP suffered their seventh loss.
Kevin Punter was the top scorer for the winning team with 16 points in 16 minutes on the court, matching Tristan Vukcevic’s contribution. Balsa Koprivica also scored 16 points, James Nunnally contributed 11 points and seven assists, while Bruno Caboclo recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. For FMP, Balsa Zivanovic led with 12 points, Hugo Besson and Nate Watson each scored 10 points.
In the next round of the ABA League, Partizan will host Studentski centar, while FMP is set for an away game against Buducnost in Podgorica.
Zeljko Obradovic’s team currently holds a 7-3 record, while the Zeleznik squad is on a negative performance with a 3-7 record.