Basketball players of «Astana» dedicated their victory to the Independence Day of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Estonian club came in a good shape. Unfortunately, this match was missed by the team captain Rustam Ergali due to an injury, but there was also a good news that the club's rookie American guard Stephen Holt made his debut in the VTB League.
Starting five: Anthony Clemons, JJ O’Brien, Maxim Marchuk, Kenneth Horton, Jeffrey Grossel.
The score was open by Estonians with a triple by Branko Mirkovich. The capital club responded 2-pointer. The teams began an active game, each attack bringing points to both teams.
By the middle of the period, the scoreboard already indicated + 10 in favor of the hosts, which made the Estonians take the first break. After the timeout, «Astana» continued the game with renewed energy, increasing their advantage with each attack. As a result, the first quarter ended with a score of 24:18 in favor of «Astana».
The second period was also emotionally calm for the capital club. The team of Emil Rajkovic controlled the match, worked perfectly in defense and did not allow the opponent to attack from a long distance. The teams went for a long break with a score of 50:34 in favor of «Astana».
The third period also did not bring any changes to the game. Capital basketball players still continued to increase their advantage, but the opponent made mistakes more often. By the end of the third quarter, the difference in the score was + 30 points in favor of “Astana”. As a result, 81:51 in favor of the Kazakhstan team.
The final 10 minutes for the capital club were nominal. It was an impossible task for the Estonians to catch up. “Astana”, although realizing their advantage over the rival, did not relax until the final buzzer. The match ended with the victory of «Astana» with a score of 105: 78.
Congratulations to the whole team of Emil Rajkovic with a beautiful and important victory. This is the fifth victory in the VTB League for the capital club.
The top scorers:
«Astana» head coach Emil Raykovich:
- I would like to highlight that our players understood the importance of this game. I am very glad that today we acted competently in the attack, thought over every step, constantly looking for the weak points of the opponent. «Kalev» made fouls, and we tried to act more aggressively. I think that «Astana» will grow into a really serious team.
«Kalev» head coach Donaldas Kairys:
“Astana” is a fairly strong team that plays well in defense and offense. Our main problems were an overwhelming number of fouls and unrealized shots. Congratulations to «Astana» on a victory.'
The team will hold the next matches on the road, on November 19 and 20. «Astana» team will visit the southern capital, where they will meet with the local basketball club «Almaty Legion» within the regular Kazakhstan Championship among men's teams of the National League.
The next match of the VTB United League of «Astana» will also be held at home, exactly one week later: on December 23, the capital basketball players will host «Avtodor» Saratov basketball club on their court
Detailed information about the tournament, tournament tables, the schedule and results of the matches are published in the section Tournaments.
 «Samruk-Kazyna» National Welfare Fund |
 Uniform operator «Tourism Industry and Sports Support Fund» |
