THE rest was truly a blessing for the Kazakhstan team.
Unlike in their Asian Games stint, the Kazakhs were able to get a respite before facing Team Pilipinas in the fifth window of the FIBA World Cup qualifiers.
And the effect showed as the visiting team torched the Filipinos from long range and stunned a capacity weekend crowd at the Mall of Asia Arena following a 92-88 win Friday night.
Alexandr Zhigulin was the thorn on the national team’s side after firing a game-high 30 points, including 18 from three-point range.
Coach Renatas Kunilionokas said his team was able to properly rest this time after arriving in the country Wednesday night.
That was a far cry when the Kazakhs faced the Filipinos in the last Asian Games when they arrived in Jakarta, Indonesia less than 24 hours before game time. The end result had them losing by a mile, 96-59.
“You see, different flights, different conditions,” said Kunilionokas, who briefly played in the Euroleague. “This time we have time to prepare. We’re winners.”
The Kazakhstan coach added the team also managed to limit its turnovers in the second half. After committing 14 errors in the first half, the Kazakhs only had seven the rest of the way.
“This was one of the main points why we stayed in the game,” Kunilionokas stressed.
At the same time, the visiting team didn’t lose its composure in the face of the spectre of playing before a hostile crowd.
‘We stayed as a family until the end,” he added.
Kazakhstan improved to 4-5 and kept its hopes alive of earning one of seven berths reserved for Asia in next year’s FIBA World Cup in China.
From here, the Kazakhs will travel to Toyama and play Japan on Monday.
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