Tofas roared into a 22-4 lead in the first quarter but Astana came back in the second half and after forcing overtime, they outscored their winless hosts 13-9 in the extra period.
J'Covan Brown had 34 points while Rasid Mahalbasic put up 31 for Astana, but there were big performances throughout the boxscore with Jerry Johnson scoring 19 and adding 11 assists.
It was all Tofas early on and when Chinemelu Elonu completed a three-point play from the free-throw line, they held an 18-point edge with 3:13 to play in the first quarter.
Astana began chipping away at the deficit and a 9-2 burst to start the third period made it a one-point game when Brown's jump shot cut the gap to 49-48.
Tofas restored a 10-point gap only to lose it just as quickly, and Mahalbasic's lay-up with 2:26 to go gave Astana their first lead of the night, 82-80.
Threes from Lamar Patterson and Samet Geyik helped the hosts seize the advantage once again and Smith's free throws had them 90-87 up with 32 seconds left.
A tense battle of the free throws followed, and after Patterson could only split a pair, Johnson attempted a three to win it. He missed, but Anton Ponomarev was on hand for a tip-in to force overtime.
The teams stayed close throughout the extra period until Brown's three gave Astana a 105-100 edge with 17 seconds left, and Tofas could not find a way back.
Patterson led Tofas with 27 points.
«We fought. We made a lot of mistakes. That's why we lost the game. We were good until the third quarter but in the fourth quarter we lost control of the game. We are so sad.»
Erhan Toker, Tofas Head Coach
«We began the game good. We knew they would get back into the game. They caught us but we held control. They pressured us really hard on defence, and because of this we began to tire. We have an intensive schedule and at the end of the fourth quarter we tired and lost control of the game. We have to win our next matches.»
Aleksandar Trifunovic, Astana Head Coach
«I congratulate my team and my staff. We began the game so soft and we didn't concentrate but we stayed calm and focused and the game began to turn in our favour. This win is so important for the confidence of my team.»
J'Covan Brown, Astana
«We began badly. We were down by 17 points. But in the second quarter we began to concentrate and turn the game around. We are happy to win the game.»
 «Samruk-Kazyna» National Welfare Fund |
 Uniform operator «Tourism Industry and Sports Support Fund» |
