National League Round 8 of Regular Season

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most interesting game of round 8 was a home defeat of 6th ranked Almaty L. (4-4) to third ranked Tobol (5-3) 95-81. Tobol dominated down low during the game scoring 60 of its points in the paint compared to Almaty L.'s 36. Worth to mention a great performance of the former international point guard Shaim Kuanov (181-1991) who helped to win the game recording 24 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists and the former international swingman Pavel Ilyin (194-1992) who added 22 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists during the contest. Russian forward Hasan Kipkeev (200-2000) responded with 17 points and 6 rebounds. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Tobol have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain third position with 5-3 record behind leader Barsy Atyrau, which they share with Astana Ac. Newly promoted Almaty L. keeps the sixth place with four games lost. Tobol is looking forward to face league's second-placed Irbis in Almaty in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Almaty L. will have a break next round.
Very important is a road loss of third ranked Tobol (5-3) against sixth ranked Almaty L. (4-4) on Wednesday night. Visiting Tobol was defeated by Almaty L. in Almaty 79-65. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Tobol. The winners were led by point guard Daniil Severgin (183-2005) who scored that evening 19 points and 4 assists and Aleksey Chilikin supported him with 14 points and 8 rebounds. Even a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds by the former international forward Anton Bykov (200-1989) did not help to save the game for Tobol. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Newly promoted Almaty L. maintains sixth position with 4-4 record. Tobol at the other side keeps the third place with three games lost. They share the position with Astana Ac.. Almaty L.'s supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Almaty to the arena .
The game in Aktau was also quite interesting. Fifth ranked Astana Ac. (5-3) played at the court of 7th ranked Caspiy Aktau (1-7). Astana Ac. defeated Caspiy Aktau 99-86 on Sunday. The best player for the winners was Igor Kanygin who had a double-double by scoring 20 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field). Astana Ac.'s coach Mikhail Lonshakov used an eleven-player rotation saving starting five for next games. Zhanibek Dzhakauov produced 23 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists for the hosts. Astana Ac. moved-up to third place, which they share with Tobol. Caspiy Aktau at the other side, also newcomer in the league, keeps the seventh position with seven games lost. Astana Ac. will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Caspiy Aktau will play against Irtysh (#8) in Pavlodar and it may be a tough game between close rivals.



Caspiy Aktau - Astana Ac. 86-99

The game in Aktau was also quite interesting. Fifth ranked Astana Ac. (5-3) played at the court of 7th ranked Caspiy Aktau (1-7). Astana Ac. defeated Caspiy Aktau 99-86 on Sunday. Astana Ac. dominated down low during the game scoring 52 of its points in the paint compared to Caspiy Aktau's 24 and made 20-of-23 free shots (87.0 percent) during the game. Astana Ac. forced 21 Caspiy Aktau turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 28 assists. The best player for the winners was Russian center Igor Kanygin (207-1994, agency: Stanislav Ryzhov) who had a double-double by scoring 20 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field). International point guard Alexandr Orazbekov (180-2002) chipped in 22 points, 8 assists and 5 steals. Astana Ac.'s coach Mikhail Lonshakov used an eleven-player rotation saving starting five for next games. Guard Zhanibek Dzhakauov (172-2002) produced 23 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists and the former international guard Vladimir Kurochkin (194-1997) added 17 points and 7 assists respectively for the hosts. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Astana Ac. moved-up to third place, which they share with Tobol. Caspiy Aktau at the other side, also newcomer in the league, keeps the seventh position with seven games lost. Astana Ac. will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Caspiy Aktau will play against Irtysh (#8) in Pavlodar and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Caspiy Aktau: D.Zhanibek 23+9reb+8ast, V.Kurochkin 17+3reb+7ast, L.Marshall 17+7reb+2ast, K.Aleksandr 16+9reb, N.Damir 4+4reb, P.Semyon 4+8reb+5ast
Astana Ac.: A.Orazbekov 22+2reb+8ast, I.Kanygin 20+13reb+4ast, M.Sarsengaliev 16+2reb+3ast, V.Likhodey 15+6reb+3ast, I.Vladislav 8+2reb+1ast, V.Simonov 6+3reb+7ast

Almaty L. - Tobol 81-95

The most interesting game of round 8 was a home defeat of 6th ranked Almaty L. (4-4) to third ranked Tobol (5-3) 95-81. Tobol dominated down low during the game scoring 60 of its points in the paint compared to Almaty L.'s 36. Worth to mention a great performance of the former international point guard Shaim Kuanov (181-1991) who helped to win the game recording 24 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists and the former international swingman Pavel Ilyin (194-1992) who added 22 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists during the contest. Four Tobol players scored in double figures. Russian forward Hasan Kipkeev (200-2000) responded with 17 points and 6 rebounds and point guard Daniil Severgin (183-2005) scored 17 points and 5 rebounds. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Tobol have a solid three-game winning streak. They maintain third position with 5-3 record behind leader Barsy Atyrau, which they share with Astana Ac. Newly promoted Almaty L. keeps the sixth place with four games lost. Tobol is looking forward to face league's second-placed Irbis in Almaty in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Almaty L. will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Almaty L.: S.Daniil 17+5reb+3ast, K.Hasan 17+6reb+3ast, S.Stanislav 15+5reb+3ast, N.Timofeev 9+4reb+2ast, F.Nikita 8+2reb, D.Albrant 8+5reb
Tobol: S.Kuanov 24+5reb+8ast, P.Ilyin 22+5reb+7ast, A.Bykov 18+12reb+1ast, R.Valiyev 15+4reb+1ast, A.Holcombe 6+6reb, A.Akhmetzhan 5+3reb

Almaty L. - Tobol 79-65

Very important is a road loss of third ranked Tobol (5-3) against sixth ranked Almaty L. (4-4) on Wednesday night. Visiting Tobol was defeated by Almaty L. in Almaty 79-65. It ended at the same time the three-game winning streak of Tobol. Almaty L. made 17-of-22 charity shots (77.3 percent) during the game. The winners were led by point guard Daniil Severgin (183-2005) who scored that evening 19 points and 4 assists and Russian Aleksey Chilikin (207-1993) supported him with 14 points and 8 rebounds. Five Almaty L. players scored in double figures. Even a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds by the former international forward Anton Bykov (200-1989) did not help to save the game for Tobol. The former international swingman Pavel Ilyin (194-1992) added 15 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists for the guests. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Newly promoted Almaty L. maintains sixth position with 4-4 record. Tobol at the other side keeps the third place with three games lost. They share the position with Astana Ac.. Almaty L.'s supporters look forward to an exciting derby game next round, where their team will travel locally in Almaty to the arena .
Top scorers:
Tobol: A.Bykov 20+13reb, S.Kuanov 15+1reb+6ast, P.Ilyin 15+11reb+6ast, A.Akhmetzhan 7+8reb+2ast, K.Dvirnyi 6+4reb+1ast, A.Holcombe 2+4reb
Almaty L.: S.Daniil 19+4reb+4ast, A.Chilikin 14+8reb+2ast, N.Timofeev 12+4reb, K.Hasan 11+3reb+3ast, F.Nikita 11+4reb+1ast, S.Stanislav 8+3reb+4ast