Astana defeated Enisey in double overtime, 98-87 (21-17, 25-20, 19-19, 10-19, 10-10, 13-12).
Top Scorers
Astana: Rob Lowery (27), Ian Miller (26), Ousman Krubally (11+10 reb)
Enisey: Frank Elegar (22+15 reb), Tony Taylor (20), Alexey Vzdykhalkin (15)
Turning Point I
Late in regulation, it appeared Tony Taylor would be the hero. The Enisey guard sank four clutch free throws in the final minute, helping his team secure a one-point advantage, 75-74.
On the final possession, Astana almost lost the ball in a wild scramble in the paint, but somehow found Leonidas Kaselakis on the perimeter. The Greek forward’s desperate heave was off the mark, but Alexey Vzdykhalkin was whistled for a foul, sending Kaselakis to the charity stripe with three chances to tie or win the game.
Alone at the line, Kaselakis missed the first, tied the game with the second, and missed the third. Overtime.
Turning Point II
Enisey needed a 3-pointer from Vasily Zavoruev to forced double overtime, but quickly jumped out to a five-point edge, 90-85, in the second extra period.
Trailing by four, 92-88, with under two minutes remaining, Astana got a huge ‘3’ from Rod Odom, his only 3-pointer of the game.
After Enisey’s Suleiman Braimoh hit a free throw to make it 93-91, Rob Lowery took over, tying the game on a layup, then answering Braimoh’s go-ahead basket with two free throws. 95-95.
Turning Point III
Enisey had possession and a chance to win the game. Once again, Tony Taylor delivered, drawing a foul on Lowery to earn a trip to the free-throw line. He drained both, making it 97-95, with under 15 seconds to go.
The game on the line, Lowery very nearly lost possession, dribbling the ball off his foot. But the American somehow regained control and with time expiring, threw up a prayer from beyond the arc. Nothing but net. Astana wins, 98-97, in double overtime.
Stats
The game could not have been any closer. Astana and Enisey had an identical number of rebounds (43) and assists (18) and each shot 75% from the line. Meanwhile, only one point separated Astana and Enisey in field-goal percentage: 44.6% vs. 45.6%, respectively.
Impact
Astana improves to 3-3 with the win and leapfrogs Enisey in the standings, who drops to 3-4. These two teams are currently 7th and 8th, in line for the final two playoff spots if the season ended today.
Quotes
Astana head coach Ilias Papatheodorou:
– It’s tough to describe in words, what happened today. I think we deserved this win, even in regulation. We tried to control the game and lead for the entire 40 minutes. We had a chance to avoid overtime, but didn’t take advantage. It’s very important that the players stayed completely focused at all times. That brought us the win. A big thank-you to the fans for the support!
Enisey head coach Oleg Okulov:
– Congratulations to Astana and their fans on a deserved win. It’s tough to say anything else.
Up Next
Astana: November 27 at Parma
Enisey: November 27 vs. Zenit
