The versatile guard was optimistic about his team’s chances of making the postseason
‘The best from Partizan is yet to come’ – Duane Washington has high hopes for 2025
Article
3 Mins read
Regular Season
Round 18 of 34
Group Regular Season
w
l
l
w
w
l
l
l
w
l
Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade made a statement by beating Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul 90-81 in Round 18 of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague, in no small part thanks to Duane Washington who posted a career-high 27 points to lead the Serbian team with a stellar display.
The 24-year-old, who played college basketball for Ohio State before his short stints with the Indiana Pacers and the Phoenix Suns in the NBA, gave the Fenerbahce players a roasting all night as he mixed superb perimeter shooting with incisive drives to the basket.
Washington was 9 of 14 from the floor and 8 of 9 from the line, as he pulled the strings on offense and was also part of a cohesive defensive effort which stifled out the visitors.
In his postgame comments, Washington elaborated that Partizan had prepared well for the matchup, having credited his teammates and the staff for being able to claim the player of the game accolade.
“We knew their game plan was to switch out on our guards,” Washington told EuroLeague TV in a courtside interview. “Coach told us to be aggressive, he believed in me and so did my teammates, it was a great team win. Defensively we did a great job and that’s where it started, as it got us into transitions and mismatches.
“We appreciate the fans’ support, win or lose they are always there for us and without them we wouldn’t be where we are right now. We are so grateful for that and the best of Partizan is yet to come in 2025.”
The result means that Partizan, which endured a poor start to the season and went 2-8 before winning the next five, improved to 8-10 before the turn of the year. Playmaker Carlik Jones had led the revival before Washington took over in the last few games and on Friday he was once again instrumental with 14 points, 5 assists and as many boards.
Jones was also elated with the victory over Fenerbahce, as it was sweet revenge for Partizan after the Serbian side suffered an 89-72 rout in the revere fixture against the Turkish side earlier this season.
“It’s a huge win and this one was really personal for us because they are the only team that really beat us [comprehensively]. We suffered a couple of [recent] losses that we felt we shouldn’t have and we wanted to get our get-back,” said Jones.
Head coach Zeljko Obradovic highlighted that his team’s tough defense had forced a barrage of misses from Fenerbahce, which sank a mere 14 of 30 from inside although the visitors did nail 14 of 31 from deep.
“We played outstanding defense throughout the game,” said the winner of a record nine EuroLeague titles, the last of which came with Fenerbahce in 2017. “I also need to single out Washington, he had a tremendous game and I am very happy for him.”
Crisis-hit Fenerbahce, which has now lost five of its last six in the EuroLeague, is at home to city rival Anadolu Efes Istanbul in the Turkish capital’s derby in Round 19, while Partizan entertains the visiting Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv.