Daegu KOGAS defeated Suwon KT for its fourth straight win and moved into seventh place in the standings.
KOGAS defeated KT 80-69 in a home game of the 2023-2024 Jungkwanjang Professional Basketball League regular season at Daegu Gymnasium on Nov. 18.
KOGAS (11-20), which has won four straight games, pushed Jung Kwanjang (11-21) to ninth place and moved into a tie for seventh place with Goyang Sono (11-20). Meanwhile, KT, 스포츠토토 which lost its third straight game, remained in third place with 19 wins and 12 losses.
KOG set the tone in the first quarter as Andrew Nicholson spearheaded the team’s offense with seven points and seven rebounds to take a 23-14 lead.
In the second quarter, while KT shot just 30 percent from the field, KOGAS steadily piled on the points and closed out the half with a 43-28 lead.
KOGAS faced a fierce KT comeback that started midway through the third quarter. Back-to-back baskets from Moon Jung-hyun and a steal and block from Lee Doo-won kept KT in the game, leading to 11 straight points, including a three-pointer from Han Hee-won.
Entering the fourth quarter with a 59-50 lead, KOGAS kept KT at bay with a three-pointer from Kim Nak-hyun and five straight points from Nicholson.
Nicholson recorded a double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Kim finished with 15 points, including three 3-pointers. KT was led by Han Hee-won with 22 points on six three-pointers, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the team from losing.
The Ulsan Hyundai Mobis won 97-94 on the road against the Seoul SK at Jamsil Hakseng Gymnasium. The Hyundai Mobis remained in sixth place with a 15-16 record. Head coach Cho Dong-hyun earned his 100th career win. SK (22-10), which had its five-game home winning streak halted, remained in second place.
The first quarter belonged to SK, with Oh Jae-hyun scoring 10 points on his own. SK took the lead with a three-pointer from Oh, and Ahn Young-joon also supported the outside shooters to increase the score.
After ending the first quarter trailing SK 21-26, Hyundai Mobis responded with a three-pointer from Kebe Aluma at the start of the second quarter.
Hyundai Mobis scored nine straight points, including a three-pointer from Choi Jin-soo to take the lead for good. Meanwhile, SK, whose ace Jamil Warney was silenced with two points in over four minutes of play, managed just 12 points in the second quarter.
After finishing the first half with a 13-point lead, Hyundai Mobis allowed SK to catch up in the third quarter after a fireworks display.
SK shot 67 percent from the field in the third quarter and poured in 34 points in the third quarter alone, with Oh Jae-hyun, Warney, and Oh Se-geun contributing 10 points apiece.
Hyundai Mobis fought back with Lee Woo-seok, Kim Ji-wan, and Park Mubin taking turns hitting three-pointers, but SK pulled within six points on Warney’s trademark floater just before the end of the third quarter.
Hyundai Mobis got to within two points, 87-85, on a Song Chang-yong jumper with four minutes left in the game.
Gage Prim’s basket with 3:19 to go and Park Mubin’s fastbreak layup with 2:56 to go pushed Hyundai Mobis back to a seven-point lead with Lee Woo-seok’s three with 2:14 to go.
A three-pointer by Oh Jae-hyun with nine seconds left in regulation pulled them to within 96-94, but Kim Ji-wan’s free throws sealed the deal.
Hyundai Mobis was led by Prim with 21 points and Park Mubin with 13 points, including three 3-pointers. For SK, Oh Jae-hyun set a new single-game scoring record with 36 points, including four three-pointers.