Demond Mallet stars as Belgacom Spirou beat Partizan MT: S 84-79 - Euroleague Recap
Coming into Thursday night’s encounter, Belgacom Spirou lost most of their games and had no chance of making it into the next round.
However, their performances can still define the shape of the finals 16. The first significant impact was made by them in tonight’s game against Partizan MT: S, who were beaten 84-79. With the win, Spirou collected their second
win of the tournament, and more importantly denied Partizan a place in the second round for the moment.
Partizan though still have two more games remaining and they need to win just one to qualify.
Partizan dominated most part of the first half, however Spirou put up a brilliant fight in the second and not only eliminated the deficit but also got ahead. From there on, they always stayed infront and went on to grab an impressive
win.
Demond Mallet marshalled Spirou with game high 22 points including 3 for 5 from the downtown and 6 for 13 from the two point range. Tornike Shengelia accumulated 17 whereas Chris Hill pounded 15 including 3 for 3 from the free
throw line. Jiri Welsch put up an all round performance and scored 13 points, pulled down 5 rebounds and dished out 4 assists.
Acie law was the most outstanding player from Partizan and matched the game high 22 points including an accurate 8 for 8 from the charity stripe while Dusan Kecman, Miroslav Raduljica, Rasco Katic and Milan Macvan all drained 10
points each.
Belgacom started with a 7-2 spurt, capped by Justin Hamilton’s three and maintained the lead throughout the first 9 minutes. However, a quick 6-0 run by Partizan in the last minute of the frame changed the complexion of game and
made it 18-13 in the favour of Partizan.
Partizan continued the attack in the next frame and within few minutes, lead mounted to double figures. In the 6th minute, Partizan were ahead by 10 points 32-22, however what followed in the four remaining minutes was
a spirited 16-5 burst that got Spirou ahead 38-37 by the end of first half.
That 16-5 run provided self confidence to Belgacom and despite losing the lead midway through the frame, Belgacom, struck hard again and managed to regain the lead. From there on they never looked back and did not allow opponents
to get close until the end of the game.
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