Astana beat MINSK at home – 76:70 (28:16, 20:21, 14:19, 14:14).
Game progress
Astana (4 losses in a row) and MINSK (29 losses) had the longest losing streaks in Group B. The Kazakh team team started the game with a powerful 16:2 run.
The guests woke up with Daniil Kasko and Zach Smith help. After that the game equalised. The opponents didn’t score a lot, the second and third quarters ended 21:20 and 19:14 – MINSK managed to get close to Astana before the decisive quarter.
The fourth quarter started with 2 long-range shots by Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson – 62:62.
Key moment
At a critical moment, Astana had a strong 4-minute stretch, during which the hosts didn’t allow the opponents to score a single point, but Markell Johnson, Royce Hamm and Jordan Skipper-Brown actions pushed MINSK back to a relatively comfortable distance (70:62).
The Belarusian team fought to the end, but was still not enough for a comeback – 76:70, and the Kazakh team broke its losing streak.
X-factor
MINSK was close to its first win of the season. The guests were noticeably strengthened by Zach Smith, who scored 12 points (5 of 7 from the game), 16 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks in 25.5 minutes. The Belarusian team’s bench players outscored their Kazakh team opponents 29:12.
Fact
Game between the teams in the first stage: Astana – MINSK – 78:74, MINSK – Astana – 84:89. The Minsk team still can’t win this season, but was close in 2 games with the Kazakh team. Today’s game was no exception.
Leaders
Astana: Royce Hamm (19 + 11 rebounds), Markell Johnson (12 + 10 assists), Jordan Skipper-Brown (12 + 7 rebounds), Devin Davis (11 + 5 rebounds), Vasilije Pusica (10 + 5 assists).
MINSK: Jarred Ogungbemi-Jackson (28 + 7 assists), Zach Smith (12 + 16 rebounds),
What’s Next
Astana (10-18): March 9 on the road against Pari NN
MINSK (0-29): March 9 at home versus MBA.
