Partizan Beat Red Star 85-82 as Pajola Hits Derby Winner
Partizan led by 18, Red Star tied it at 75-75, and in overtime Alessandro Pajola hit the three-pointer that made it 85-82.
With the Belgrade Arena scoreboard reading 73-69 for Partizan and about three and a half minutes left in regulation, the game stopped for several minutes. Flares flew from the stands, and Red Star supporters and fans in the surrounding sections pelted each other with them. The game resumed, and in the end Partizan beat Red Star 85-82 in overtime in Round 7 of the Euroleague, thanks to a three-pointer from Alessandro Pajola late in the extra five minutes.
The incident in the fourth quarter was not the first of the night. Red Star fans, seated in the Level 400 section of the east stand, clashed with police just before tipoff, and flares were used during the scuffle.
How did Partizan build an 18-point lead?
The hosts opened with a run that hit Red Star immediately. It was 13-3 after four minutes and 18-6 after five and a half, and Ethan Thompson made it 20-6 with a basket on the next possession. Red Star woke up only late in the quarter, when Chris Jones reached 11 points and cut the gap to 21-29, but the first quarter still ended 31-21.
The second quarter started at the same tempo: a 7-0 run made it 38-21 after two minutes. Red Star answered with an 8-0 run, Joan Penarroya called a timeout, and after it Lamar Stevens dunked to make it 44-31. At halftime it was 52-38.
Partizan’s biggest lead, 18 points, came early in the third quarter at 56-38. Then its offense stalled and Red Star, through David Kramer, closed to 58-50, but a 7-0 run by the hosts restored the margin to 65-50 going into the final ten minutes.
What happened in the final quarter?
Red Star won the last quarter 25-10. After the flares, Jared Butler scored four straight points to tie it at 75-75 with about a minute and a half left. Partizan then missed four free throws in a row, two each by Kevarrius Hayes and Pajola. Penarroya had earlier asked for a review of a foul by Jordan Nwora, believing it should have been called unsportsmanlike, but the officials did not change the call. Stevens meanwhile fouled out with five personal fouls.
On the last possession of regulation Hayes blocked Chris Jones, and neither team added a point, so the game went to overtime.
Who decided overtime?
Red Star led for the first time only in overtime, when Chris Jones hit for 77-75. Two minutes from the end it was 81-77 for the visitors. Carlik Jones drove to cut it to 79-81, Ebuka Izundu made one free throw at the other end for 82-79, and then Carlik Jones tied it at 82-82 with a three-pointer.
Pajola then put Partizan ahead for good at 85-82. Reports differ on the details: Nova says it came 17 seconds from the end, Telegraf writes about 20 seconds, and B92 logs Pajola’s three at 82-79, which fits neither the other sources nor the final score. Red Star had the last possession, but Kramer did not get a shot off before time ran out.
Score by quarter: 31-21, 21-17, 13-12, 10-25, overtime 10-7. The game was officiated by Carlos Peruga, Boris Rizhnik and Tomas Bisuel.
Who stood out for each team?
Partizan:
- Carlik Jones: 26 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds
- Lamar Stevens: 16 points, fouled out with five personal fouls
- Kevarrius Hayes: 13 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks
- Luka Vildoza: 8 points, Pajola: 7 points
Red Star:
- Chris Jones: 22 points
- Jordan Nwora: 16 points and 8 rebounds
- Sehmi Ojeleye: 13 points
- David Kramer: 7 points
What did Carlik Jones say after the game?
Partizan’s best player came out to speak to reporters and described how the win felt.
“An incredible feeling. I’m a little tired, but man, incredible,” Jones told reporters after the game.
What surprised him most, he said, was what happened in the stands, even though this is his third year in Serbia. “I have never seen two different groups of fans throw flares at each other over there, back and forth,” Jones said, adding that it surprised him but that, in his view, it did not throw the team off.
What is next for Partizan and Red Star?
Both teams now have four wins and three losses after this round. Partizan snapped a three-game losing streak and sits 11th, while Red Star’s four-game winning streak ended and it is eighth. In the next round Partizan travels to ASVEL in Lyon, and Red Star hosts Maccabi Tel Aviv in Belgrade.
