BC Lietkabelis crush Partizan in fifth straight EuroCup win
BC Lietkabelis Panevėžys 93-78 dismantled Partizan Belgrade on Wednesday, securing their fifth straight EuroCup victory and handing the Serbians their fourth straight road loss. Gediminas Orelik and Djordje Gagic led the charge with 21 points each, while Orelik drilled five of seven three-pointers to stake a huge second-quarter lead. Partizan started even but collapsed after the first quarter and never recovered.
How Lietkabelis pulled away in the second quarter
The hosts and visitors traded baskets to open the game, knotting the score at 24-24 after the first 10 minutes. Then Lietkabelis exploded for a 24-2 run over the next six minutes, building a 22-point lead (48-26) with two minutes left in the half. Orelik, who already had 8 points in that span, set the tone, while Dovydas Giedraitis added 7 points to fuel the surge. Meanwhile, Partizan’s offense sputtered—Gregor Glass coughed up four of the team’s 12 turnovers in the first half, and Rade Zagorac, who had 10 points in the first quarter, went scoreless the rest of the half.
Why Partizan’s night fell apart
Partizan’s offensive rebounding was solid with 7 boards, but they had no answer for Orelik’s shooting. Kevin Punter sparked a late 5-point run to cut the deficit to 16 (37-53), but it wasn’t nearly enough. Mathias Lessort’s and-one put the visitors down 68-49, and Lietkabelis answered with a 7-0 spurt that sealed the game. The margin ballooned to 29 points (78-49), and even Željko Obradović couldn’t conjure a comeback.
What it means for Lietkabelis
The win keeps Lietkabelis on a five-game EuroCup winning streak, proving the Panevėžys side can compete with Europe’s best. Orelik finished with 21 points and 5 rebounds, while Gagic added 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 7-of-10 free throws. Vytė Lipkevičius (14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) and Panagiotis Kalaitzakis (10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals) rounded out the double-digit scorers. Nenad Čanak’s team now eyes a higher EuroCup seed as the group stage unfolds.
When’s Lietkabelis’ next game?
Lietkabelis improves to 7-6 in EuroCup play. Their next outing comes on December 13, 2023, when they face another tough opponent in the ongoing tournament. For now, the Lithuanians look sharp, and their perimeter attack led by Orelik and Gagic has become a nightmare for rival defenses. Partizan, meanwhile, suffered one of their worst losses of the season and must regroup quickly to stay in playoff contention.