GHAZIR (Lebanon) - Adas Juskevicius sung praises for the guts Eric Day showed that ultimately enabled BC Astana to remain as the hottest team in the 2025-26 FIBA WASL-West Asia League, Wednesday night.
The 26-year-old knocked down the game-winner to lift themselves past Sagesse SC and the Lithuanian veteran himself witnessed it all unfold, leaving him beaming with so much pride for his backcourt partner.
"Eric Day did a great job at the end of the game - he decided the game," he said shortly after their dramatic 104-102 overtime victory at the Ghazir Club Stadium. "The way Eric played today, he helped us a lot."
Day was undeniably the biggest star of the night as he poured in 38 big points, none more important, of course, than the pull-up jumper from the right elbow to break the 102-all knot with only 2.5 seconds left.
That cold-blooded shot of his would give the Kazakhstan Basketball Championship outfit their fifth successive victory, in the process overtaking reigning champs Al Riyadi (4-2) atop the standings with a 5-1 record.
"It shows that we are serious this season," said Juskevicius with a smile, when asked what this winning streak says about the club that's now competing in a WASL Sub-Zone League after being seeded in the Final 8.
But what really makes the 37-year-old smile with Day's heroics was how it embodied the kind of character Astana, as a collective, have been developing, which has also been a major driving force behind their fiery run.
The inaugural league bronze medalists actually found themselves staring at an 85-77 deficit with about four minutes left in regulation, but discovered an extra gear by pulling off a 15-7 rally to eventually force OT.
"I love it," the former Lithuanian men's team stalwart said. "From the first day I came here, the president told me what he wants: the help coming from me, like, help the players understand that they can never give up."
"Because [in the] last years, they were giving up in the games, and this year I think everybody changed their mentality. We're never giving up, we're fighting until the last second," he furthered.
They are indeed fighting and Juskevicius has been taking the responsibility to lead by example. Against the Green Castle, he made 24 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists as he helped Astana stay afloat in the extra period.
"We never lost games by more than 10 or 20 points. We never did. So we're fighting until the end and believing that even at the last second, we can win the game," said Juskevicius, himself a FIBA Europe Cup and BCL vet.
Making him happier is the way Astana proved that they can win on the road, too, after winning the first four games of their ongoing streak at home, wherein they'd beaten Sagesse, Al Wahda, Riyadi, and recently, Gorgan.
And to have repeated against the Lebanese Basketball League powerhouse in their own stomping grounds - in front of a hostile partisan crowd, too - brings even more satisfaction to Juskevicius and the crew.
"I enjoyed playing against the Lebanese crowd. It's my first time in Lebanon and I see how people love basketball," he said. "I'm really happy for the team, how we played, and how we never gave up until the last second."
FIBA