Tough Match

The away game in Saratov started with a tough challenge for “Astana.” The opening minute offered hope for a even battle, but the home team quickly seized control. Feeling confident on their home court, “Avtodor” surged ahead (15:4). A slight response came midway through the first quarter, thanks to Daniel Utomi and a solid alley-oop from Alexander Orazbekov to Andrei Desyatnikov. Nevertheless, the score after the first quarter was 31:13 in favor of the hosts.

In the second quarter, things remained unchanged. “Avtodor” continued to increase their lead, bolstered by the strong play of Bryant Crawford, Kerem Kanter, and Alexander Petenev. Toward the end of the first half, “Astana” managed to spark some momentum with standout moments from Daniel Utomi (a three-pointer with a foul), Grigory Motovilov (a three-pointer), and captain Rustam Murzagaliyev (a mid-range jumper). However, the halftime score was 57:29 in favor of “Avtodor.”

Despite the score gap, “Astana” kept fighting. In the third quarter, Gleb Plotnikov’s squad put up a more productive performance, scoring 26 points—an improvement over their earlier quarters. Andrei Desyatnikov made a strong impact in the paint, while Alexander Orazbekov connected on key shots from long range. Still, “Avtodor” controlled the game and the scoreboard showed 83:49 heading into the final quarter.

The last ten minutes started with some errors from the hosts, which “Astana” capitalized on to slightly narrow the gap. However, a full comeback was out of reach as “Avtodor” confidently secured their victory.

Final Score:

“Avtodor” – “Astana” 106:64 (31:13, 26:16, 26:20, 23:15)

“Astana” Top Performers:

• Askar Maydekin: 16 points

• Grigory Motovilov: 13 points

• Daniel Utomi: 8 points

• Andrei Desyatnikov: 8 points, 6 rebounds
 

Comments from Gleb Plotnikov, Acting Head Coach of BC “Astana”:

“First of all, congratulations to ‘Avtodor’ on their victory. They were far better than us today. Unfortunately, our defense didn’t work at all. As I told my players, we can lose in many aspects, but never in terms of motivation. Today, we lost in that as well. Additionally, getting here was a challenge—the Saratov airport was closed, and we had to take a bus from Samara.”