Regular Season Game 12 - January 17, 2007 CET: 20:45 Local time: 20:45 - PIONIR

Records

Ave.   Ave.
0-0 Final Four 0-0
0-0 Playoffs 0-0
0-0 Top 16 0-0
1-0 Regular Season 0-1
4-7 Overall 3-8

Referees

Crew Chief
GARCIA ORTIZ, JOSE RAMON, Spain
Referee
PILOIDIS, ANASTASIOS, Greece
Umpire
CONDE, ANTONIO, Spain

Team Stats

Ave.   Ave.
73.7 Points 74.1
33.8 Rebounds 30.7
10.8 O. Rebounds 10.5
23.0 D. Rebounds 20.3
12.2 Assists 11.1
12.5 Steals 8.8
3.1 Blocks 1.6
16.4 Turnovers 13.5
45.4 % 2PT 50.3 %
35.2 % 3PT 31.4 %
73.8 % FT 67.2 %
71.3 Index 69.6

Player Stats

Ave.   Ave.
16.3 / DROBNJAK, PREDRAG Points 15.1 / MILIC, MARKO
7.0 / DROBNJAK, PREDRAG Rebounds 6.9 / MILIC, MARKO
2.8 / Perovic OR 2.5 / MILIC, MARKO
4.6 / DROBNJAK, PREDRAG DR 4.5 / MILIC, MARKO
3.7 / CUMMINGS, V. Assists 3.3 / Rannikko
1.9 / CUMMINGS, V. Steals 1.2 / Markoishvili
1.5 / Perovic Blocks 1.1 / RIZVIC, HASAN
3.0 / DROBNJAK, PREDRAG Turnovers 3.5 / MILIC, MARKO
66.7 % / BOZIC, PETAR 2PT 63.1 % / MILIC, MARKO
56.7 % / Bogdanovic 3PT 50.0 % / KUZMINSKAS, S.
100.0 % / BOZIC, PETAR FT 80.0 % / Arslan
18.0 / DROBNJAK, PREDRAG Index 16.3 / MILIC, MARKO

THE TAKE

Age-old rivals Partizan and Union Olimpija Ljubljana will square off with their Top 16 hopes very much in play on Wednesday when they meet for a Group B showdown at Pionir Arena in Belgrade, Serbia. The Serbian champs and Slovenian champs were longtime foes in the former Yugoslavia and continue their sporting rivalry today, having played three times this season already between the Euroleague and Adriatic League, with Partizan winning all three. Both teams are well-known for their young squads and home-grown talent, something evident on their current rosters. Partizan (4-7) has struggled as of late, dropping three straight Euroleague games to slip into a three-way tie for fifth place in Group B. Olimpija (3-8) is coming off a huge 87-59 win over Unicaja that kept head coach Gasper Okorn's squad alive in the hunt for a spot in the Top 16. Dusan Kecman's jumper in the final seconds led Partizan to a 70-71 road win in the teams' first Euroleague meeting in November. Center Kosta Perovic scored 17 and grabbed 9 boards as Partizan took a 76-90 decision last week over Olimpija in the Adriatic League, too. Point guard Teemu Rannikko (13.8 ppg., 3.3 apg.) and forward Marko Milic (15.1 ppg., 6.9 rpg.) have been Olimpija's dynamic duo for much of the season, but the improved play of Ender Arslan (10.4 ppg.), who recorded season-highs of 16 points and 6 assists in last week's win, could be what the team needs to win more games. Partizan's biggest strength is inside, where the frontline rotation of Predrag Drobnjak (16.3 ppg., 7 rpg.), Perovic (10.3 ppg., 6.5 rpg., 1.5 bpg.) and Nikola Pekovic is among the biggest and most productive in the league. Olimpija will need big men Hasan Rizvic, Saulius Kazminskas and Ivica Jurkovic (9.3 ppg.) to all step up and keep their team close in the paint. The battle between the team's multi-talented swingmen, Uros Tripkovic and Luka Bogdanovic of Partizan and Olimpija's Manu Markoishvilli (9 ppg.), could also play a factor in the game. Partizan playmaker Vonteego Cummings (12.6 ppg., 3.7 apg.) could be the man the hosts will use to try and break Arslan. This game is a crucial one for both teams, as the loser will see its chances of reaching the Top 16 reduced with minimal time left to recover. Partizan remains the favorite, considering its recent record against Olimpija, but anything can happen if the visiting team's trio of stars shines bright.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Euroleague.net - Aca Ostojic, Belgrade - Ziga Bojc, Ljubljana

Quotes Head Coaches

VUJOSEVIC, DUSKO
Partizan
"Olimpija used to be the written-off team in our group, but all that they are doing these last weeks could be called 'the return of the written-off'. Olimpija played an excellent game with Cibona and had an outstanding performance against Unicaja last week. I cannot say anything except that we are expecting one more home win, but games like this one are dangerous. The pressure shall be on us, and we have to fight against Olimpija and the pressure. I believe we can handle it and make step further toward the Top 16."
OKORN, GASPER
Union Olimpija
"We can not talk of this as the key game of the season, because we have already had som and if we win, there will be more. However, a victory at Partizan would leave the Top 16 door half-open for us. Partizan has beaten us three times this season - twice in the Adriatic League, and once in the Euroleague on a last-second basket by Dusan Kecman. The key to winning will be the inside play and the fight for rebounds. If we can stop Drobnjak, Perovic and Pekovic, we'll be close to the win. To Belgrade, we need to go with clear heads and our hearts beating for our club.

Players

KECMAN, DUSAN
Partizan
"We beat Olimpija on the road, but that means nothing now. The team from Ljubljana destroyed Unicaja last week, leading by as many as 35 points during that game. On the other hand, we are aware of our own advantages and all we have to do is to show them on the floor. It is not an easy job but we can do it."
JURKOVIC, IVICA
Union Olimpija
"Now is no time for math. Only victories count and the game against Partizan is the last chance to save the season. It's true that Partizan has defeated us three times this season, but the trend has to change and I am sure that we can change it precisely now. Just like we do, Partizan has to win this game, too, and that's where I see our opportunity. I'm an optimist."
Predrag Drobnjak Partizan showed its power and stayed in the fight to make it to the Top 16 in difficult Group B by simply overwhelming injury-plagued Union Olimpija 106-60 in Belgrade, Serbia on Wednesday. Partizan improved to 5-7 and will at least tie for the fifth spot in Group B at the end of this week. Partizan still has two critical games left, a visit to Panathinaikos next week and the regular season finale at home against Unicaja, also 5-7. Olimpija, meanwhile, dropped to 3-9 and is all but mathematically out of the Top 16 race. Kosta Perovic paced the winners with 20 points by making 9 of 11 two-point shots. Predrag Drobnjak added 19 points and 8 rebounds, Uros Tripkovic had 16 on 4 of 5 three-point shooting while Vonteego Cummings chipped in 13. Partizan outrebounded Olimpija 32-15. Manu Markoishvili had 19 points for Olimpija. The visitors played without injured starter Teemu Rannikko, and without star forward Marko Milic, who was transferred to Real Madrid before the game. Ender Arslan added 11 and Domen Lorbek 10 for the guests, who trailed 58-28 at halftime and never recovered.

Perovic opened fire for Partizan in sold-out Pionir Arena and it wasn't long before he had combined with Tripkovic for 9 unanswered points to lift the hosts to an 11-2 advantage, forcing Olimpija's first timeout. Markoishvilli and Ivica Jurkovic managed to cut the gap to 13-7. Olimpija played with a lot of long-distance shots while Partizan's centers dominated in the paint. Lorbek and Tripkovic traded triples before Markoishvilli added one more to make it 21-13. Olimpija missed 4 straight free throws that might have helped keep Partizan from gaining momentum on the way to a 26-16 lead after 10 minutes.

Manuchar Markoisvili - Union OlimpijaPartizan took off even faster in the second quarter as Perovic with a mid-range shot and Petar Bozic with a bomb from downtown continued pushing the lead higher, to 31-16. Luka Bogdanovic added his first triple and points from a fastbreak while Perovic continued to terrorize the Olimpija defense. It all added up to a 14-0 run that had Partizan ahead by 45-18 after just 14 minutes and had the 7,000 home fans fired up, too. Olimpija had no way to stop the storm and Partizan led 52-22 when Drobnjak hit his second three-pointer. All that Olimpija could manage to do was maintain the difference at 58-28 by halftime. During those 20 minutes, Partizan had dominated in rebounding 15-8 while making 8 of 9 three-pointers and dishing 15 assists.

The second half Olimpija started playing for pride. A trio of triples shared by Markoishvilli and Lorbek sent the guests on a 1-11 run to a score of 64-41 in minute 25. Partizan played with less intensity on defense but soon Perovic woke up with 5 consecutive points. Olimpija tried a small lineup when Partizan switched to zone. Novica Velickovic replaced Drobnjak and had some bright minutes, scoring 7 straight points in 9-2 Partizan run that made the score 77-45 after three quarters.

The story was over but Partizan added one more 11-0 run at the begining of the final period to lead 88-45, holding Olimpija scoreless for more than 3 minutes. The difference was even bigger when Boris Bakic scored a triple for a 102-52 lead with 2 minutes to finish a 12-0 run. The biggest Partizan winning margin ever in the Euroleague was sealed with points from Tripkovic.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Aca Ostojic, Belgrade
Referees: GARCIA ORTIZ, JOSE RAMON (ESP), PILOIDIS, ANASTASIOS (GRE), CONDE, ANTONIO (ESP)
Attendance: 6897
By Quarter1234
Partizan26321929
Union Olimpija16121715
End of Quarter1234
Partizan265877106
Union Olimpija16284560
Head coach: VUJOSEVIC, DUSKO
Partizan
# Player Min Pts 2FG
M-A
3FG
M-A
FT
M-A
Rebounds As St To Bl Fouls PIR
O D T Fv Ag Cm Rv
4 TEPIC, MILENKO 18:15   0/2       3 3 5 1 1   1 5 1 1
5 BOGDANOVIC, LUKA 20:15 5 1/3 1/1     7 7 4   3     1   10
7 KECMAN, DUSAN 16:45 4 0/2 0/2 4/4   3 3 5 1 2 1     2 10
8 BAKIC, BORIS 7:15 5   1/1 2/2       1   1 1   1 1 6
10 BOROVNJAK, DEJAN 3:30                              
11 TRIPKOVIC, UROS 21:45 16 1/1 4/5 2/2   2 2 2 2 2     4 2 17
12 VELICKOVIC, NOVICA 10:30 9 2/5   5/7       1 1         5 11
13 PEROVIC, KOSTA 22:15 20 9/11   2/3 1 2 3 4 2   1   2 7 32
14 PEKOVIC, NIKOLA 15:45 9 3/4   3/4 2   2   2 2 1   4 2 8
18 DROBNJAK, PREDRAG 28:00 19 4/7 2/2 5/6 4 4 8 3 2 2 1     3 30
20 BOZIC, PETAR 12:45 6 0/1 2/3     2 2           3   3
25 CUMMINGS, VONTEEGO 23:00 13 2/2 3/4     2 2 1 2 1     3 2 15
Team                   1           1
Totals 200:00 106 22/38 13/18 23/28 7 25 32 26 14 14 5 1 23 25 144
57.9% 72.2% 82.1%
Min: Minutes played; Pts: Points; 2FG M-A: 2-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); 3FG M-A: 3-point Field Goals (Made-Attempted); FT M-A: Free Throws (Made-Attempted); Rebounds: O (Offensive), D (Defensive), T (Total); As: Assists; St: Steals; To: Turnovers; Bl: Blocks (Fv: In Favor / Ag: Against); Fouls: Cm (Commited), Rv (Received); PIR: Performance Index Rating
Head coach: OKORN, GASPER
Union Olimpija
# Player Min Pts 2FG
M-A
3FG
M-A
FT
M-A
Rebounds As St To Bl Fouls PIR
O D T Fv Ag Cm Rv
4 ARSLAN, ENDER 33:45 11 4/9 0/3 3/6   2 2 4 4 3 1   2 9 15
5 LORBEK, KLEMEN DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
8 RIZVIC, HASAN 18:45 2 1/2       1 1   1 2     5 1 -3
9 RANNIKKO, TEEMU DNP - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
10 HOHLER, DEJAN 6:00 3   1/2     2 2           1   3
11 MARKOISHVILI, MANUCHAR 38:30 19 5/8 3/5   1 3 4 4 4 3   1 5 3 20
13 JURKOVIC, IVICA 30:15 6 0/1 2/5   1   1 1 4 4     3 1 2
14 KUZMINSKAS, SAULIUS 15:45 1 0/3   1/4   4 4   1 2   2 4 3 -5
21 CEBULAR, SANDI 19:45 6 2/3 0/2 2/5 1   1     2     4 3 -2
23 LORBEK, DOMEN 28:00 10 1/7 2/6 2/2       3 3     2 1 3 6
54 PIETRAS, KAMIL 9:15 2 1/2                         1
Team                     1         -1
Totals 200:00 60 14/35 8/23 8/17 3 12 15 12 17 17 1 5 25 23 36
40% 34.8% 47.1%
This game is not yet played

Head Coaches

VUJOSEVIC, DUSKO
Partizan
“We played against an incomplete team, but it is not easy to beat any team with a margin like we did tonight. Our goal was the win and the points difference that could provide us place in Top 16 as the best sixth-paced team. We did it all. We played all 40 minutes with great helpfrom our fans. We gave our maximum and I am satisfied.”
OKORN, GASPER
Union Olimpija
“You've seen everything tonight. Congratulations to Partizan and I do hope they will reach the Top 16.”

Players

BOZIC, PETAR
Partizan
“A great basketball performance and great atmosphere thanks to our fans. We played excellent with great focus from the first to the final minute. Our next Euroleague game is a road one with Panathinaikos. We believe we could surprise the big team in Athens.”
ARSLAN, ENDER
Union Olimpija
“It was terrible. We were without two important players in Milic and Rannikku. We tried to control the game but nothing worked. And the worst fact is that Partizan had real great shooting game.”
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