KK Igokea Partizan Have Wright Stuff

KK Igokea Partizan did just enough to beat Bakken Bears over two legs and advance to the next phase of the EuroCup.

After a 68-62 success in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Partizan progressed after tying the second leg 71-71.

		Nicolai Iversen had eight points and nine rebounds for Bakken Bears.

That basket left them just two points behind in the tie.

Djordje Djogo replied with a three-ball for Partizan, though, and Nikola Vucurovic added a lay-up to steady the nerves.

Nicolai Iversen dunked to put the Bears back into a 65-64 lead with just over three minutes to go but the visitors always had an answer on offense.

Kendrick Johnson went in for a lay-up and Lawrence Wright followed with a dunk for a 68-65 Partizan lead in the game and a nine-point advantage on aggregate.

The game would ended up finishing in a 71-71 tie.

Wright finished with a game-high 23 points for the winners while the man Bakken singled out as the key to Partizan success, guard Aleksandar Subara , had 11 points but missed all five of his shots from behind the arc.

Subara also dished out four assists.

Next up for KK Igokea Partizan is an Elimination Round tie with Ukrainian side Khimik Yuzhny.

Quotes Bakken Bears vs. Igokea Partizan

Zoran Sretenovic, head coach, KK Igokea Partizan:

"We came into this game with a big challenge – their big guys. We knew we had to stop them and I think we did a very good job. It’s not easy to defend players like Chris Christoffersen (218 cm and 143 kgs).

"This was a very, very important win for us. The team lost its first two games of the domestic season and was not in a good state. We won the third game in Bosnia and this win gives us a great boost of confidence."

Tony Mattern, assistant coach, Bakken Bears:

"Lawrence Wright was definitely a factor. He didn’t play at all in the first game and we knew very little about him. He is a fantastic player. So is Aleksandar Subara. He is the type of player who can carry his team. You can tell from looking at him. He has this attitude saying ‘I’ll take care of this'.

"We were not ready from the start of the game. We seemed to be too affected by the importance of the game. At this level you have to be ready right from the start, otherwise the deal is done. That is something we have to work on.

"We are very sad. This was a very important game for the club and for Danish basketball and we didn’t deliver. But we lost to a better team with some fantastic players."

Lawrence Wright, KK Igokea Partizan:

"It was very close. We managed to come out on top because we kept on playing hard and working as a team. We played very well in defense towards the end and that made the difference.

"I played the game at 100 percent and I’m happy that I could help my team tonight. This is my first year in European basketball and I think I’m starting to get accustomed to the game over here."