«Astana» Astana, Kazakhstan vs. «Khimki» Khimki, Russia

Khimki defeated Astana on the road, 108-74. Moscow Region was in control from the opening tip, led by its backcourt of Alexey Shved and Tyrese Rice. Though Astana cut the deficit to 13 entering the final period, the visitors were never in danger, scoring 36 points down the stretch to win comfortably. Shved and Rice combined for 56 points in the victory.

Recap
Khimki dominated the opening 20 minutes, led by Tyrese Rice's impressive first-half double-double (11 points and 11 assists). Exquisite ball movement led to plenty of open looks and the team took full advantage, scoring 27 in the 1st quarter.

Astana mounted a brief comeback in the 2nd quarter, pulling within four, but a pair of 3-pointers from Alexey Shved restored Khimki's advantage. At the end of the half, Moscow Region led by 17, 50-33.

The Kazakhs played their best basketball of the night in the 3rd quarter. Alexey Zhukanenko and Kenneth Hayes provided a boost off the bench and Astana managed to trim the deficit to 13 entering the 4th quarter.

Shved and Rice, however, refused to let the home team get any closer. The backcourt tandem helped Khimki to a 36-point outburst in the final period, giving the visitors a convincing 108-74 win.

Star Player
Tyrese Rice. Rice focused on running the offense in the first half, then switched to scoring in the second. He finished with 27 points and 12 assists, along with five rebounds and two steals.

Stat of the Game
6-5 - Alexey Shved knocked down more 3-pointers than Astana, which shot 5-24 as a team from beyond the arc.

Quotes
Khimki head coach Rimas Kurtinaitis:
- We were worried about Astana, because we know how they can play at home. We had some problems due to the schedule and long flights. But we managed to stay focused. The guys were very focused on the court and played excellent defense. I'm happy we could secure this win.

Astana head coach Ramunas Butautas:
- Khimki played extremely well today. We made a lot of mistakes and were duly punished. I hope the guys learn from today's game and that we play differently against Nizhny Novgorod.

Snapshot