«Astana» Astana, Kazakhstan vs. «Tsmoki-Minsk» Minsk, Belarus

Tsmoki-Minsk defeated Astana on the road, 93-92. The visitors led almost the entire contest, until an 11-1 run from Astana in the final two minutes forced overtime. The extra period featured five lead changes with Tsmoki-Minsk's Branko Mirkovic knocking down the game-winner to help the Belarusians improve to 4-3.

Intro
Astana was missing point guard Jerry Johnson, but hoped to take advantage of the home court and snap a two-game losing streak. Tsmoki had also lost two straight entering the contest, needing a win to avoid dropping below .500.

Anthony Hilliard had an immediate impact for the visitors (12 points and five rebounds in the 1st quarter), giving Minsk the early lead. Astana did not shoot as well from the perimeter as the visitors, but had more success in the paint.

After cutting the deficit to one, 24-23, Astana's offense went ice cold over the final five minutes of the first half. Tsmoki-Minsk held the Kazakhs to two points, running up a 35-25 advantage at halftime.

The offense looked different in the second half. Astana began attacking more often from the perimeter, while Tsmoki fed the ball inside, but the outcome remained the same: the Dragons held a 61-50 lead entering the 4th quarter.

Astana briefly cut the deficit to three midway through the 4th quarter. Hilliard responded at the other end, dunking on a drive to the basket, knocking down a '3' and dunking again in transition to make it 76-66.

With the clock running out, Astana went to full-court pressure and managed to force three consecutive turnovers. The result? An 11-1 run to end regulation with Kenneth Hayes hitting the game-tying jumper, 77-77. Tsmoki had a chance to win it in the final seconds, but Branko Mirkovic's '3' was off the mark.

The two teams traded baskets in overtime, combining for 29 points in the first four minutes. With a minute left to play, Tsmoki-Minsk trailed, 92-91.

Turning Point
On the next possession, Mirkovic drilled a jumper to put Tsmoki on top. Needing a stop, Minsk's Justin Gray shut down Kenneth Hayes, who couldn't get his shot to fall. The visitors escape with a win, the team's 4th straight road win.

Star of the Game
Anthony Hilliard. The American guard was unstoppable, pouring in 37 points along with 11 rebounds and three assists.

Stat of the Game
5 - number of lead changes in overtime.

Quotes
Astana head coach Ramunas Butautas:
- Disappointing loss. We didn't manage to play like we wanted. We had trouble on defense and on offense. Thanks to the team's character, we made it close, but as is often the case in these types of games, you need some luck at the end, which Minsk got.

Tsmoki-Minsk head coach Igor Grishchuk:
- I want to thank my guys for their will to win. The stars aligned in our favor today. I think we deserved the win.

Stats