Kazakhstan's men's basketball team finished the first round of the preliminary qualification for the 2029 Asian Cup in second place in Group B. In the final matches of the home tournament in Almaty, the Kazakhs defeated Kyrgyzstan (88:67) and Sri Lanka (87:58), reports infohub.kz.
The match against Kyrgyzstan on August 30 ended in a confident victory for the hosts. By halftime, Kazakhstan led 49:31, and before the final quarter, the advantage reached 25 points. Despite an attempt by the opponent to reduce the gap in the end, the outcome of the match did not change – 88:67.
The top scorer for Kazakhstan was Robert Pan with 24 points. He made seven of ten three-pointers, adding four rebounds and four steals. Daniil Severgin scored 20 points, Vladimir Ivanov – 11. For Kyrgyzstan, Temirlan Kapakov and Nazim Adylbekov each scored 17 points.
This victory secured Kazakhstan a place in the top three of the group ahead of schedule. Along with the hosts, Palestine and Sri Lanka advanced to the second round.
In the final game against Sri Lanka, the hosts settled the winner before halftime. The first quarter ended 25:8, and by the middle of the match Kazakhstan led 51:15. In the second half, the opponent reduced the deficit, but it did not prevent the Kazakhs from winning big – 87:58.
Shaim Kuanov was Kazakhstan's best scorer with 15 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Ruslan Aitkali recorded a double-double: 12 points and seven rebounds, Stanislav Sakhipov – 11 points, Anton Bykov – 10. For Sri Lanka, Kande Dasun Nilanta Mendis scored 19 points.
Thus, the Kazakhstan national team finished the home stage with three wins in four matches. In addition to Kyrgyzstan and Sri Lanka, Alexander Lysyak's team routed the Maldives (114:43). The only defeat came against Palestine (67:80).
Palestine topped Group B with four wins and eight points. Kazakhstan finished second with seven points, Sri Lanka (6) third. Kyrgyzstan (5) and the Maldives (4) ended their Asian Cup campaign.
In the second preliminary round, Kazakhstan, Palestine, and Sri Lanka will join Group E along with the three strongest teams from Group A. The games will be held in the international window from November 23 to December 1, 2026. Four of the six teams will advance to the main qualifying tournament for the 2029 Asian Cup.