Astana struggled to take control early on. Although Rustam Murzagaliev opened the scoring, the visitors appeared faster and executed their offensive plays more efficiently. The biggest challenge for Astana, however, was Gleb Goldyrev’s sharpshooting from beyond the arc—he was flawless, hitting 4-for-4 and tallying 12 points in just seven minutes, igniting a 10-0 Samara run. The team picked up the pace and responded with a 7-0 run, fueled by Motovilov’s drives to the basket, a powerful slam from Daniel Utomi, and a buzzer-beater from Murzagaliev. The first quarter ended with Samara ahead, 26-14.
Astana carried that momentum into the second quarter, keeping the pace high as Samara slowly lost control. Utomi was precise from mid-range, Smith battled relentlessly on the boards, and timely contributions from the bench helped sustain the team’s push. The defining moment of the quarter came right at the buzzer—Vadim Shcherbak drained a clutch shot, giving Astana a 40-39 lead.
The third quarter was a classic back-and-forth battle. Samara briefly stretched their lead to five, but Astana quickly countered. Goldyrev continued to be a perimeter threat, but it didn’t disrupt Astana’s offensive rhythm. Grigory Motovilov aggressively drove to the basket and recorded his eighth assist, setting up Danila Pokhodaev for a key bucket that cut the deficit to just one. In the final moments of the quarter, Motovilov took command, keeping Astana firmly in the fight.
Astana closed out the game in style in the final quarter. Ruslan Aitkali took charge, sinking clutch three-pointers and throwing a spectacular alley-oop to Andrey Desyatnikov. He also facilitated key baskets for Vadim Shcherbak, keeping the offense fluid. The finishing touch came from Daniel Utomi, who drilled a deep three-pointer to extend the lead to 71-56, sealing the win and leaving Samara with no way back.
Final Score:
Astana – Samara: 75-67 (16:24, 24:15, 17:15, 18:13)
Top Performers:
Astana:
Grigory Motovilov – 23 pts, 8 ast, 5 reb
Daniel Utomi – 13 pts, 8 reb
Rustam Murzagaliev – 11 pts
Danila Pokhodaev – 7 pts, 5 reb
Vadim Shcherbak – 6 pts, 4 reb
Andrey Desyatnikov – 6 pts, 4 reb
Gleb Plotnikov, Astana Head Coach (interim):
«First and foremost, I want to congratulate our fans. Their energy was felt throughout the game. Secondly, I want to commend my players—just as Grisha pointed out, they stuck to the game plan. I often talk about reducing turnovers and playing with more structure, and today, we executed that well. The first quarter was a little shaky, but the final outcome speaks for itself. I’d also like to extend my support to BC Samara during this challenging time—I hope things turn around for them soon.»
Grigory Motovilov, Astana Guard:
«The game went great. Winning always feels good. We were much more organized on offense today and stuck to the coach’s instructions. We only committed 12 turnovers, which is a big improvement for us. The coach has been asking for that for a while, but we always fell short. We played with discipline, and I think this result is a fair reflection of our progress.»
Vladislav Konovalov, Samara Head Coach:
«First of all, congratulations to Astana on the win. They are finding their rhythm again. You can see that their injured players are back, and they’re gaining momentum. Their recent games against Nizhny Novgorod and Enisey show that. Naturally, we’re disappointed because we had control early on and stuck to our defensive game plan. I wouldn’t say Astana tightened up defensively—it was more that we missed open shots. Plus, Grigory Motovilov had an outstanding game. We tried to contain him, but our perimeter shooting let us down today.»
