Runa survived versus Astana in overtime – 93:90 OT (13:21, 19:26, 27:14, 23:21, 11:8).
Game progress
Astana had solid defense in the first quarter. The hosts limited Runa to 13 points (6 of 21 from the game, 0 of 7 three-pointers), and Carvel Anderson made 3 long-range shots in 7 minutes – 21-13. Astana made fastbreak points , the guests had no answer. Soon followed a 12:0 run, after which the lead reached 20 points.
In the second half, Runa made 4 three-pointers in a row in 75 seconds, and after an and-one by Ilia Popov equalised the score – 51:51! The teams burned out after such an emotional period of time , but Astana had the lead before the fourth quarter – 61:59.
The fourth quarter was Anderson – Adam Kunkel and Nikola Ivanovic – Jeremiah Hill duos rivalry. After almost 7 minutes into the quarter, the both duos had 15 points. The Moscow team got support from the bench at the right moment – Kirill Savin scored 5 quick points and put Runa ahead – 80:78. Anderson responded with his 7th three-pointer of the game, and Ivanovic got free throws – and Astana had to come back again 1.5 minutes before the end.
Even after a couple turnovers, the hosts had a chance to win the game, but Anderson missed from the corner with 12 seconds left. Astana had the offensive rebound! Oleg Kiselev took a timeout, and Royce Hamm had a chance to score free throws. Having missed the first attempt, the bigman then equalised the score, and Ivanovic did not make a layup in the following possession – overtime.
Key moment
In the overtime, Alex Tyus made 2 key offensive rebounds, giving his team extra three-pointers and Runa scored twice ( 4-point lead with 1:15 to go). Hamm cut it to 2 points, and Anderson tried to make an equaliser 13 seconds before the end, but missed. This time Astana couldn’t save the game. Runa got back trailing by 20 – the biggest comeback of the season – and ended the Kazakh team 5-game home winning streak.
X-factor
The Moscow team made 5 offensive rebounds (Tyus got 3) in 2 minutes of overtime, allowing to score second-chance points.
Fact
Carvel Anderson had a chance to repeat the season-high in three-pointers made (8), but his accuracy let the guard down – 7 of 13.
Royce Hamm made his 4th double-double of the season and equaled Richard Solomon (PARMA).
Leaders
Astana: Carvel Anderson (25), Royce Hamm (21 + 12 rebounds), Adam Kunkel (20 + 5 assists).
Runa: Jeremiah Hill (23 + 7 assists + 6 rebounds), Nikola Ivanovic (18 + 7 assists + 5 rebounds), Danila Pokhodiaev (16 + 7 rebounds), Alex Tyus (12 + 8 rebounds), Kirill Savin (10).
What’s next
Astana (6-7): December 3 at home versus CSKA
Runa (7-6): December 3 on the road against Avtodor.
