MINSK made a 16-points comeback and beat Astana at home – 84:69 (21-30, 16-18, 25-5, 22-16).
Game progress
Both teams no longer had tournament goals: Minsk finished the season in the 6th place in Group B, while Astana was one place above.
Both teams started to score from the very first minutes: Astana made 5 points in 1 minute, MINSK replied with Zach Smith and Aliaksei Trastsinetcki made shots. The game was tight, with the guests was one step ahead. Astana kept moving away and at the end of the quarter Valery Likhodey helped to get the Kazakh team a double-digit lead – 30:20. The guests continued to build their lead in the second quarter, leading by 16 by the middle of the quarter.
MINSK made a comeback in less than 10 minutes! The hosts took the lead at the end of the third quarter, and led by 9 at the start of the fourth quarter – 62:53.
Key moment
MINSK had no trouble holding the winning score. Astana had little energy left to get into the clutch.
Key Factor
DaQuan Bracey. The American guard wasn’t particularly noticeable in the first half, but after the halftime he became the key player. Bracey had 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
Fact
On the day of the game, “MINSK” head coach Rostislav Vergun turned 41. The Belarusian team made a wonderful gift to his mentor for his birthday with a win at home.
Leaders
MINSK: DaQuan Bracey (22 + 5 rebounds + 5 assists), Zack Smith (18 + 6 rebounds), Jovan Sljivancanin (14), Aliaksei Trastsinetcki (13 + 5 rebounds).
Astana: Valery Likhodey (22), Michael Myers (12 + 15 rebounds), Markell Johnson (10 + 10 assists).
