FC Bayern Basketball lost their first home game on Matchday 3 of the EuroLeague. It was a closely fought contest against Partizan for much of the match, but Bayern squandered a double-digit lead in the final quarter and went down 84–86.
It was a tight affair for over 40 minutes, but Partizan stepped up a gear in the fourth quarter thanks to Carlik Jones (16 points, 5 assists) and turned the game around. The Munich side were led by former Partizan guard Duane Washington (20 points, 7/12 FG), whilst national team player Johannes Thiemann (17) also had some good moments in attack.
Coach Anton Gavel rotated Oscar da Silva, Justus Hollatz and MarJon Beauchamp out of the squad this time; instead, Kamar Baldwin and Johannes Thiemann, amongst others, started at the power forward position. However, it was a bumpy start; Partizan played very aggressively and thus generated several easy points on the break. This aggression came at a price, as Bayern were in the bonus early on and had already converted nine free throws after one quarter. Duane Washington, on the other hand, quickly found his range, despite being mercilessly booed by the numerous Partizan fans. The guard hit a three-pointer as the quarter buzzer sounded to make it 27–22.
At the other end, the visitors were hitting almost every three-pointer (6/9 after 13 minutes) and were even able to take the lead at times. Although Munich were also shooting well from the field, they repeatedly struggled to move the ball against the quick hands of Alessandro Pajola, who had already racked up three steals in the first half. Partizan, by contrast, made hardly any mistakes, but once again it was Washington who brought Bayern back into the game with shots taken on the fly, whilst at the same time drawing attention with gestures towards the away fans.
Cups were thrown; one landed on the court, causing a stoppage lasting several minutes because the floor was subsequently too sticky to play on. The half-time score was 47–46.
Jones secures victory for Partizan
After the break, the Serbs’ momentum cooled noticeably; the three-pointers were no longer falling. In contrast, Andreas Obst finally got a clear three-pointer, and Justinian Jessup was also successful from distance (60–50). Defensively, Tobias Jensen made some good plays, whilst on offence it was Jessup who extended the lead. The score stood at 65–57 going into the final quarter.
It looked as though Partizan were regaining the upper hand, but two three-pointers from Washington took the wind out of the Serbs’ sails once more. Nevertheless, the visitors stayed in the game; when Carlik Jones cut the deficit to four points with six minutes remaining, Gavel was forced to call a time-out. A long three-pointer from Obst provided some relief, but the visitors fought back and levelled the score with an ‘and-1’ from Jones 140 seconds from the end (81–81).
The point guard followed up shortly afterwards with a drive to the basket; it was the visitors’ first lead since the second quarter. Thiemann levelled the score from the post, and Luca Vildoza countered at the other end. Centre Austin Wiley, however, missed a free-throw, and Tobias Jensen gave the ball away again following a misunderstanding with Obst. However, as Jones also missed a free throw, Bayern were given one last chance, but Washington missed as the buzzer sounded.
After three games, Bayern now stand at 1-2 and will host Oldenburg in the easycredit BBL on Sunday. In the EuroLeague, Virtus Bologna, managed by Germany’s national coach Alex Mumbru, will be the visitors to the SAP Garden next Thursday.
