Szolnoki Olaj - KK Partizan NIS 55:60 (Adriatic League, Round 1)

The match had a very interesting start, because no point was scored for 3 (!!!) minutes. Many chances were missed and many fouls were made. Finally Gagić broke the silence and scored 2 points in the 3rd minute. Szolnok missed out even a penalty at the 4th minute. We were in the 5th minute (!!!) when Tepić scored another basket, it was 0:4 for Partizan.
It was followed by fouls only. Mostly by Szolnok, during their attacks. There were barely 4 minutes left from the quarter when Milutinov scored another basket for Partizan. Not much later Tepić made such a great steal that Average Fan was screaming from joy.

Tepić in action

Partizan’s secret weapons were stealing and rebounding. Yet despite them in the upcoming one minute nothing on Earth happened except for some fouls. Szolnok had their first basket after 6 and a half minutes (2:6).
It was 3:10 for Partizan when Szolnok had a timeout. They picked themselves together and started scoring 3-pointers. They got the grip so much that the result was 11:10 for them at the end of the quarters.
This was the first and last time Szolnok could control the match. Because then came Parni Valjak, the Great Steam Roller.
The second quarter started with a foul by Szolnok, again while attacking.

Match action: Milutinov and Andrić surrounded by Szolnok-players

But then the Tepić-Dallo axis put itself into motion. The first of them (Tepić) scored a basket (11:12), then Szolnok could gain back a little bit of control for about half a minute (13:12), most probably to be sure they’ll remember this momentum, because it would never ever come back again.

The reason was Boris Dallo, with an unbelievable performance. He got all the possible rebounds and he kept on hanging on Szolnok-players’ back picking them as long as they dropped the ball. After 4 minutes it was 13:19 for Partizan, Dallo himself scored 7 points within one minute, while Gagić was the destroying force of the defense.

Then it was 13:21 after a brilliant Tepić-Gagić-Tepić teamwork. Then 15:23 (Báder scored, after 3 minutes of total silence by Szolnok, Andrić reacted quickly with a basket). And we even got to know that Boris Dallo is the X-Factor of Partizan.

Here came a timeout by Szolnok but it didn’t really make things better for them. Dallo was at everywhere, rebounding, stealing and picking Szolnok-players until they dropped the ball, to be able to have such a great interplay with Bezbradica.

Szolnok missed a lot of chances, finally they scored from penalty (16:29). At the end of the first half they made it for 25:29, after Partizan missed chances - while Szolnok missed an even bigger chance, because Gagić made such a great blocking that should be taught at academies.

The second half started again with a lot of missed chances. Then Andrić scored (25:31). Then it was again him, with a 3-pointer.
Đoko Šalić made a wonderful blocking. (The video is lagging a bit, but you can still see it all.)

Even Szolnok’s timeout didn’t make it better. Partizan scored 9 points in a row.

Discussion at Partizan’s side

Szolnok scored after 4 and a half minutes in this quarter (28:38). Partizan kept on throwing baskets ahead. 28:41, then 31:44 (a Szolnok-attack was followed by Tepić’s instant reaction). And Szolnok was still missing out their chances... For the end of the quarter they decreased the difference a bit, the result was 37:44 (even Partizan missed out quite a few baskets).

The last quarter was mostly about fouls and penalties. Milutinov still scored a field goal in the beginning (37:46), then young Marinković scored from penalty. This gave a huge extra to Partizan, Gagić and Tepić were continuously stealing Szolnok’s weak passes and with a fast break they built up attacks. At 39:53 Szolnok again asked for time-out. Afterwards they made it for 52:53, but Milutinov quickly rearranged the standing (42:55). 

Numerous missed chances followed this period. There were barely 5 minutes left when Szolnok scored. Then 2 minutes passed without points (only missed chances happened, nothing else). In the 6th minute the home team scored again, Duško Vujošević asked for time-out. 

Only 90 seconds were left, it was 51:57 when Szolnok had a row of fouls. The last 30 seconds were only about penalties. One 2-pointer for Szolnok, one for Partizan, and so on. Finally the last penalty was scored by Gagić, when there were only 7 seconds left from the game. (55:60).

League standings:

1. Crvena Zvezda 2 points

2. Mega Vizura 2 points

3. Krka 2 points

4. Zadar 2 points

5. Union Olimpija 2 points

6. Partizan 2 points

7. Budućnost Podgorica 2 points

8. Metalac 1 point

9. Cibona 1 point

10. Szolnoki Olaj 1 point

11. Igokea 1 point

12. MZT Skopje 1 point

13. Cedevita 1 point

14. Levski 1 point

(photos: Facebook/KK Partizan)