Zalgiris took full advantage of big man Tyrique Jones’s absence from Partizan’s ranks to dominate inside early on, racing into a 6-0 lead before Jones took over and started pulling the strings for the visitors.

Having shot 5 of 5 from inside, the hosts engineered a 24-21 advantage at the end of the first quarter but Partizan ramped up its defense in the second. The Serbian team turned the tide with a 0-10 run and took a commanding 31-39 lead before Zalgiris closed the gap to 35-40 at the interval, setting the stage for a titanic second-half tussle.

A slow start in the third quarter cost Partizan again as Zalgiris netted 8 points without reply and kept the visitors scoreless for more than 5 minutes, with Aleksej Pokusevski ending the drought with a pair of free throws followed by a three-pointer.

The rivals were all square, 49-49, heading into the final 10 minutes and the contest which resembled a wrestling match was clearly headed for a dramatic climax, as Partizan nosed ahead 59-62 with the home straight around the corner.

Zalgiris then forced the final twist with a 7-0 run which gave the home team a 66-62 lead on the back of a Francisco three-pointer and the guard sank a tough floater soon after to make it 68-64.  

Isaac Bonga kept Partizan afloat with a pair of free throws but Smailagic delivered the killer blow at the other end to delight the home fans in the Zalgirio Arena and force his former club into submission.

EUROLEAGUE