National League Round 10 (Regular Season): Almaty L. is defeated by Caspiy Aktau

Here is the last round review presented by Job Market.

The most important game in the last round took place in Aktau between second ranked Almaty L. (11-9) and fourth ranked Caspiy Aktau (9-11) on Thursday night. Almaty L. was defeated by Caspiy Aktau on the road 91-78. Caspiy Aktau forced 20 Almaty L. turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 34 assists. The former international center Vladimir Ivanov (208-1994) had a double-double by scoring 26 points and 15 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and American swingman JP Moorman II (201-1998, college: UC Riverside) chipped in 20 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists during the contest. At the losing side American guard Elijah Hardy (188-1999, college: CSUSB) responded with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Caspiy Aktau moved-up to third place, which they share with Barsy Atyrau. Almaty L. at the other side keeps the second position with nine games lost. Caspiy Aktau is looking forward to face bottom-ranked Tobol (#5) in Kostanay in the next round. Almaty L. will play on the road against Barsy Atyrau and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Very important is a road loss of second ranked Almaty L. (11-9) against fourth ranked Caspiy Aktau (9-11) on Friday night. Visiting Almaty L. was crushed by Caspiy Aktau in Aktau 95-75. American swingman JP Moorman II (201-1998, college: UC Riverside) notched a double-double by scoring 28 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists to lead the effort and Vladimir Ivanov supported him with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Even 15 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists by American guard Elijah Hardy (188-1999, college: CSUSB) did not help to save the game for Almaty L.. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Caspiy Aktau moved-up to third place, which they share with Barsy Atyrau. Almaty L. at the other side keeps the second position with nine games lost. Caspiy Aktau will play against bottom-ranked Tobol (#5) in Kostanay in the next round. Almaty L. will play on the road against Barsy Atyrau and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Very significant was Astana's (#1, 20-0) victory against 3rd ranked Barsy Atyrau (9-11) 79-50. Robert Pan fired 13 points and 5 rebounds for the winners. Michael Mays produced 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists for lost side. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Undefeated Astana (20-0) have an impressive 20-game winning streak. They maintain first position with a perfect record of 20 victories in a row. Loser Barsy Atyrau keeps the third place with 11 games lost. They share the position with Caspiy Aktau. Astana will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Barsy Atyrau will play against Tobol in Kostanay and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

There were no shocking results in the other games in round 10: Astana destroyed Barsy Atyrau on the opponent's court 97-68. Bottom-ranked Tobol lost to undefeated Astana in a home game 64-119. Astana managed to beat Tobol on the road 88-73.



Barsy Atyrau - Astana 50-79

Very significant was Astana's (#1, 20-0) victory against 3rd ranked Barsy Atyrau (9-11) 79-50. Astana looked well-organized offensively handing out 30 assists comparing to just 14 passes made by Barsy Atyrau's players. The former international center Robert Pan (202-1995) fired 13 points and 5 rebounds for the winners. The former international forward Alexander Zhigulin (205-1994) chipped in 15 points. American point guard Michael Mays (178-1999, college: King) produced 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists and Alexandr Ermakov (-2005) added 11 points and 7 rebounds respectively for lost side. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Astana (20-0) have an impressive 20-game winning streak. They maintain first position with a perfect record of 20 victories in a row. Loser Barsy Atyrau keeps the third place with 11 games lost. They share the position with Caspiy Aktau. Astana will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Barsy Atyrau will play against Tobol in Kostanay and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Barsy Atyrau: M.Michael 17+5reb+4ast, A.Ermakov 11+7reb+3ast, M.Abat 7+2reb+2ast, O.Akylbek 5+2reb, O.Aibolat 4+3reb, U.Kairat 2+2reb
Astana: Z.Alexander 15+3reb+1ast, P.Robert 13+5reb+3ast, J.Adas 9+4reb+4ast, A.Maydekin 9+6reb+1ast, R.Aitkali 9+7reb+1ast, M.Sarsengaliev 7+1reb+3ast

Barsy Atyrau - Astana 68-97

Rather expected game when 3rd ranked Barsy Atyrau (9-11) was crushed at home by top-ranked Astana (20-0) 97-68 on Wednesday. Astana made 29-of-32 free shots (90.6 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 32 assists. American point guard EJ Day (180-1999, college: Lasell) fired 22 points and 7 assists for the winners. International forward Askar Maydekin (203-1997) chipped in 17 points and 6 rebounds. Four Astana players scored in double figures. American point guard Michael Mays (178-1999, college: King) produced 27 points and forward Aibolat Omarov (197-2006) added 14 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists respectively for lost side. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players and allowed the starting five to get some rest. Astana have an impressive 20-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 20-0 record. Loser Barsy Atyrau keeps the third place with 11 games lost. They share the position with Caspiy Aktau. Astana will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Barsy Atyrau will play against Tobol in Kostanay and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Barsy Atyrau: M.Michael 27+3reb+1ast, O.Aibolat 14+10reb+5ast, M.Abat 8+2reb+4ast, U.Kairat 6+1reb, Z.Azamat 4+3reb+1ast, R.Bogdan 3+2reb+4ast
Astana: D.EJ 22+4reb+7ast, A.Maydekin 17+6reb+3ast, R.Aitkali 16+3reb+2ast, P.Robert 12+5reb+2ast, J.Adas 9+6reb+8ast, Z.Alexander 7+3reb+2ast

Tobol - Astana 64-119

Rather predictable result in Kostanay where top-ranked Astana (20-0) smashed bottom-ranked Tobol (1-19) 119-64 on Monday. Astana dominated down low during the game scoring 62 of its points in the paint compared to Tobol's 26. Astana forced 19 Tobol turnovers and outrebounded them 42-28 including a 32-18 advantage in defensive rebounds. The former international forward Ruslan Aitkali (195-1997) fired 16 points and 5 rebounds (on 7-of-9 shooting from the field) for the winners. The former international guard Rustam Murzagaliyev (190-1992) chipped in 16 points and 5 rebounds. The former international swingman Pavel Ilyin (194-1992) produced 14 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists and the former international forward Anton Bykov (200-1989) added 18 points and 7 rebounds respectively for lost side. Five Astana and four Tobol players scored in double figures. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players and allowed the starting five to get some rest. Astana have an impressive 20-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 20-0 record. Tobol lost seventh consecutive game. They stay dead last with 19 lost games. Astana will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Tobol will play against Barsy Atyrau (#4) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Tobol: B.Adilbek 19+3reb+1ast, B.Anton 18+7reb, I.Pavel 14+8reb+4ast, S.Darim 10+4reb+2ast, S.Ilya 3+1reb, K.Rustam 0
Astana: A.Maydekin 18+3reb+2ast, R.Aitkali 16+5reb+3ast, R.Murzagaliyev 16+5reb+2ast, A.Suleimenov 13+5reb+1ast, S.Abashidze 13+6reb+1ast, A.Orazbekov 10+5reb+2ast

Tobol - Astana 73-88

Not a big story in a game in Kostanay where 5th ranked Tobol (1-19) was defeated by top-ranked Astana (20-0) 88-73 on Tuesday. The former international center Robert Pan (202-1995) fired 25 points for the winners. American point guard EJ Day (180-1999, college: Lasell) chipped in 16 points and 5 assists. Four Astana players scored in double figures. The former international forward Anton Bykov (200-1989) produced a double-double by scoring 22 points and 10 rebounds and the former international swingman Pavel Ilyin (194-1992) added 22 points and 5 rebounds respectively for lost side. Both coaches allowed to play bench players saving starting five for next games. Astana have an impressive 20-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 20-0 record. Tobol lost seventh consecutive game. They stay dead last with 19 lost games. Astana will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Tobol will play against Barsy Atyrau (#4) and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Tobol: I.Pavel 22+5reb+1ast, B.Anton 22+10reb+1ast, B.Adilbek 15+6reb+3ast, S.Darim 5+5reb+2ast, S.Adil 5+2reb, S.Mikhail 4+5reb+2ast
Astana: P.Robert 25+3reb+1ast, D.EJ 16+4reb+5ast, Z.Alexander 11+4reb+1ast, A.Maydekin 10+4reb, V.Chsherbak 7+1reb+1ast, R.Murzagaliyev 7+4reb+2ast

Caspiy Aktau - Almaty L. 91-78

The most important game in the last round took place in Aktau between second ranked Almaty L. (11-9) and fourth ranked Caspiy Aktau (9-11) on Thursday night. Almaty L. was defeated by Caspiy Aktau on the road 91-78. Caspiy Aktau forced 20 Almaty L. turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 34 assists. The former international center Vladimir Ivanov (208-1994) had a double-double by scoring 26 points and 15 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and American swingman JP Moorman II (201-1998, college: UC Riverside) chipped in 20 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists during the contest. At the losing side American guard Elijah Hardy (188-1999, college: CSUSB) responded with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists and the former international guard Stanislav Sahipov (190-2002) scored 18 points and 4 assists. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Caspiy Aktau moved-up to third place, which they share with Barsy Atyrau. Almaty L. at the other side keeps the second position with nine games lost. Caspiy Aktau is looking forward to face bottom-ranked Tobol (#5) in Kostanay in the next round. Almaty L. will play on the road against Barsy Atyrau and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Almaty L.: S.Stanislav 18+4reb+4ast, H.Elijah 18+6reb+6ast, A.Nazim 15+6reb+1ast, F.Nikita 10+2reb+3ast, T.Nikita 3+7reb+3ast, T.Sabir 3+1reb+1ast
Caspiy Aktau: V.Ivanov 26+15reb+3ast, M.JP 20+8reb+5ast, M.Eric 15+6reb+9ast, V.Petrishinets 14+2reb+4ast, A.Nurlybay 5+1reb, V.Dots 4+1reb+2ast

Caspiy Aktau - Almaty L. 95-75

Very important is a road loss of second ranked Almaty L. (11-9) against fourth ranked Caspiy Aktau (9-11) on Friday night. Visiting Almaty L. was crushed by Caspiy Aktau in Aktau 95-75. Caspiy Aktau outrebounded Almaty L. 52-41 including a 38-25 advantage in defensive rebounds. Caspiy Aktau players were unselfish on offense dishing 31 assists. American swingman JP Moorman II (201-1998, college: UC Riverside) notched a double-double by scoring 28 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists to lead the effort and the former international center Vladimir Ivanov (208-1994) supported him with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Four Caspiy Aktau players scored in double figures. Even 15 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists by American guard Elijah Hardy (188-1999, college: CSUSB) did not help to save the game for Almaty L.. The former international guard Stanislav Sahipov (190-2002) added 13 points for lost side. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Caspiy Aktau moved-up to third place, which they share with Barsy Atyrau. Almaty L. at the other side keeps the second position with nine games lost. Caspiy Aktau will play against bottom-ranked Tobol (#5) in Kostanay in the next round. Almaty L. will play on the road against Barsy Atyrau and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Almaty L.: H.Elijah 15+8reb+7ast, S.Stanislav 13+1reb+3ast, A.Daniel 8+5reb+1ast, K.Dias 8+2reb+1ast, A.Nazim 8+4reb+1ast, G.Platon 5+4reb+1ast
Caspiy Aktau: M.JP 28+10reb+6ast, V.Petrishinets 13+6reb+2ast, V.Ivanov 12+10reb+3ast, K.Neff 11+6reb+3ast, I.Musuraliev 9+2reb, V.Dots 6+1reb