Fenerbahce beat Partizan 74-65, set Euroleague block record
Partizan led 18-7 in Istanbul, then lost 65-74 and had 14 shots blocked, the most in Euroleague history. Jasikevicius says he is not happy about the record.
In the first five minutes in Istanbul, Partizan made all four three-pointers it tried and quickly led 18-7. After that, the black-and-whites missed their next 15 shots for three points, all the way to a late three by Ethan Thompson, by which time the winner had long been decided. Fenerbahce beat Partizan 74-65 in round six of the Euroleague, and the visitors had 14 shots blocked, more than any team has ever had in a single game in this competition.
It is Partizan’s third straight defeat, after losses to Real Madrid and Panathinaikos. Before the game we wrote that Partizan had not beaten Fenerbahce since December 2022, and that streak has now been extended.
How did the game turn after halftime?
Partizan won the first quarter 19-12. The second was completely different: only 22 points fell in total (13-9 for the hosts), and the visitors went into the long break leading 28-25. In the first half the black-and-whites made 10 of 33 shots from the field, or 30 percent, six of 21 on two-pointers and four of 12 from three.
At halftime, Tonye Jekiri told coach Joan Penarroya he could not continue because of a hip flexor injury. Fenerbahce won the third quarter 34-16, going from three points down to fifteen up. Partizan won the final period 21-15 and at one point cut the gap to eight, but there was no comeback.
The offensive numbers show best how it looked: Partizan shot 37 percent on two-pointers, 30 percent on threes, and made 13 of 24 free throws, or 54 percent. Thompson, with 13 points, was the visitors’ top scorer, Keveryus Hayes scored 12, Allman seven, and Tanaskovic and Carlik Jones six each. Jones also had eight assists, but made only one of seven two-point shots. Vildoza added five points.
For the hosts, Shavon Shields scored the most with 17, Horton-Tucker had 14, and Baldwin and Clyburn 11 each.
What does the record of 14 blocks mean?
Fenerbahce stopped 14 Partizan shots. The previous Euroleague record was 12 blocks, held by Lithuania’s Zalgiris, who reached that figure twice: on December 14, 2000 against Estudiantes and on December 18, 2008 against Prokom.
How the blocks were split at Fenerbahce:
- Marcus Bingham: five
- Nicolo Melli, Brackston Key and Will Clyburn: two each
- Horton-Tucker, Johnny Juzang and Shavon Shields: one each
The home coach was not delighted with the record. Sarunas Jasikevicius told Euroleague television, with a smile:
“Can you imagine how bad our defense must be when we constantly have to chase opponents down and block their shots? If you play good defense, there is no need to block a shot.”
After the game he added a more serious point: “As for the blocks, at times we were slow on defense. Of course I am not satisfied with that. In my teams I usually don’t have so many athletic players. I much prefer to stop the opponent already behind the three-point line, so it is truly incredible that we recorded 14 blocks.”
Where does Partizan stand now?
Partizan is 3-3, while Fenerbahce, at 5-1, has its best Euroleague start since 2023, when it also had five wins after six rounds.
The offensive numbers over the last three defeats are not encouraging. Partizan made 13 of 66 three-pointers in them, about 20 percent, and at 77.7 points per game has the weakest offense in the Euroleague. From the free-throw line in those three games it shot 39 of 64, or 61 percent. Two of the three defeats came on the road, against teams from the top of the competition.
Partizan’s next Euroleague game is the eternal derby against Red Star.
