Partizan’s basketball players lost to Valencia 86:73 in the 19th round of the EuroLeague, thus ending the year 2025 with a defeat.
The Black-and-Whites entered the game burdened by a streak of three consecutive losses, having suffered the latest blow at the debut of Joan Peñarroya, when Maccabi celebrated a convincing 112:87 victory in the Belgrade Arena.
As if that were not enough, the Black-and-Whites also appeared seriously weakened tonight, as coach Peñarroya could not count on Carlik Jones, Shake Milton, Pokuševski, Bošnjaković, and Nakić.
Despite all the problems, the guests from Belgrade opened the game excellently. Aggressive defense and an almost perfect offense gave Partizan a 7:0 run right at the start, and the scoreboard soon showed 13:4. The Black-and-Whites continued in the same rhythm and after just five minutes of play reached a double-digit lead – 17:6.
However, the advantage did not last long. Mistakes on offense followed, which the hosts used to get into rhythm and quickly return to the game, closing the gap to just two points. Peñarroya was forced to call a timeout, and Partizan managed to preserve the lead with points in the final possession of the first quarter, going into the first break ahead 22:18.
The second period brought a fierce battle. Partizan once again found good solutions on offense, but defensive lapses allowed the hosts easy points. The Black-and-Whites at one point escaped to +6, but Valencia tied the score at 35:35 with two consecutive three-pointers, after which Montero gave the hosts their first lead of the game.
Still, in the closing moments of the second period, Partizan managed to regroup and equalize with easy points, so the teams went into halftime level at 43:43.
The third quarter was marked by complete scoreboard uncertainty. The teams traded the lead, with neither able to pull away decisively.
However, the hosts hit a three-pointer at the buzzer in the final moments of the quarter and entered the decisive ten minutes with a two-point advantage, at which point everyone thought we were in for drama in the final quarter.
And there was no drama, as only the hosts dictated absolutely everything on the court.
The Black-and-Whites completely fell apart, scoring only 10 points, which the hosts took advantage of and ultimately recorded a convincing victory.