«Nymburk» Nymburk, Czech Republic vs. «Astana» Astana, Kazakhstan

Nymburk defeated Astana at home on Sunday, 79-61. The Czechs raced out to a 21-9 advantage in the 1st quarter and though Astana got within five points early in the final period, Nymburk closed the game on a 19-6 run to enjoy its fourth win of the season.

Intro
Nymburk surprised many around the league by starting 3-1, including a win over Lokomotiv-Kuban. Astana entered Sunday's game with a 1-2 record, coming off a win against Bisons.

Several players were missing on both sides: Astana traveled to Nymburk without Jerry Johnson, while Nymburk had to play without Jiri Welsch, Petr Benda and Michael Dixon.

A 12-2 start put Nymburk in full control and the Czechs led 21-9 at the end of the 1st quarter thanks to a buzzer-beating '3' from Howard Sant-Roos.

Astana's defense improved in the second period. The Kazakhs limited Nymburk to 16 points and an uninspiring 5-18 performance from downtown in the first half.

At the other end, Astana's offense came alive in the 2nd quarter. While missing Johnson's playmaking, Nik Caner-Medley scored nine points in the period, helping Astana cut the deficit to six at halftime, 37-31.

Turning Point
Both teams scored 20 points in the third period and with just over eight minutes to play in the final quarter, Astana's Anton Ponomarev made it a five-point game, 60-55, from the free-throw line. That was as close as the visitors would get.

Four different Nymburk players combined to lead the home team on an 11-0 run, giving Ronen Ginzburg's men an insurmountable 16-point lead. Nymburk went on to win, 79-61, and moves into a tie for 2nd place with Khimki and Nizhny Novgorod.

Star of the Game
Chasson Randle. Without Welsch and Dixon, Randle came up big for Nymburk. The American led his team with 18 points and dished out five assists.

Stat of the Game
33 of 66. Nik Caner-Medley and Kenneth Hayes combined for 50% of Astana's field-goal attempts.

Stats

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