The opening quarter was full of tight, physical play. Although the hosts got off to a stronger start, Astana answered back. A mid-range jumper from Grigory Motovilov and a powerful putback by Galin Smith set the tone. A three-pointer by Rustam Murzagaliev and a bucket from Aitkali brought the deficit down to just one.
In the second quarter, MBA-MAI put together a 6–1 run. After a timeout, Utomi and Motovilov helped get Astana’s offense moving again. But the closing stretch of the half belonged to the home side, with Danil Pevnev making key plays to push the lead to nine by halftime.
MBA-MAI kept up the pressure in the third quarter, while Astana worked hard to slow them down. Galin Smith had a strong stretch with six points, and Andrey Desyatnikov closed the quarter with a highlight dunk. Still, the gap continued to grow.
Astana managed to take the fourth quarter, with Magzhan Sarsengaliyev knocking down a late three, but it wasn’t enough to turn the game around.
MBA-MAI – Astana 75:61 (21:17, 17:12, 19:10, 18:22)
Astana: Galin Smith (12 points), Daniel Utomi (11 points, 6 rebounds), Grigory Motovilov (10 points, 6 assists), Andrey Desyatnikov (9 points, 7 rebounds), Askar Maydekin (8 points).
Gleb Plotnikov, Acting Head Coach, BC Astana:
“The turning point came late in the second quarter—we had a turnover, they scored on the break, and then we had a defensive breakdown that led to a Pevnev three-pointer. At the start of the third, we missed open shots and gave up points in return. After that, it was tough to get back in it. Every time we got close, rebounding made the difference—we just couldn’t win the battle on the glass.”
Astana’s next VTB United League game is on April 2, away against Lokomotiv-Kuban.
 «Samruk-Kazyna» National Welfare Fund |
 Uniform operator «Tourism Industry and Sports Support Fund» |
