Tough start in Beirut: Astana falls to Al Riyadi in WASL Final 8 opener

Astana kicked off its Final 8 campaign in the FIBA West Asia Super League (WASL) with a tough road game against tournament favourites Al Riyadi in Beirut. Despite a promising start, the Kazakh side couldn’t keep up with the hosts’ pace and fell 93:58.

The opening quarter was evenly matched, with Astana showing confidence early. Centre Andrey Desyatnikov brought energy on both ends, including a couple of dunks that drew cheers even from the home crowd. The quarter ended 23:15 in favour of Al Riyadi, but Astana was very much in the game.

In the second period, the Lebanese side stepped up the pressure. Astana struggled defensively, and Al Riyadi capitalised to build a double-digit lead. By halftime, the score was 43:29.

The third quarter proved to be the turning point. Al Riyadi ran the court with speed and precision, outscoring Astana 26:12 in the period. Their movement and accuracy from deep stretched the defence, and the hosts entered the final frame up 69:41.

The fourth quarter followed the same script. Al Riyadi stayed in control, and while Astana fought until the end, the gap was too wide to close. Final score: 93:58.

Despite the result, a few Astana players stood out. Andrey Desyatnikov was just one rebound short of a double-double (17 points, 9 rebounds), T.J. Starks added 17 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, and Ruslan Aitkali chipped in with 12 points and 8 boards.

Acting Head Coach Gleb Plotnikov:

“First, credit to Al Riyadi — they were the better team today. We’re carrying a lot of injuries from a long VTB season, and it’s tough when you don’t have a full squad. Even our fifth point guard from the second team picked up a knock, and our starting centre Askar Maidekin is also out. But we’ve got what we’ve got, and we’ll keep fighting.

Al Riyadi play fast, they’re deep, and they move the ball really well. We couldn’t stop that tonight. But I’m proud of our guys — they didn’t fold, they played hard until the final whistle.”

Andrey Desyatnikov, centre:

“Congrats to Al Riyadi — they were sharp and played with intensity we couldn’t quite match. I think we did well in the first half, but in the second they started running and we couldn’t keep up. They’re a strong team, but we kept pushing.”