Kang Hyuk, who took over as acting head coach of Daegu KOGAS during the national team call-up break, won his first game as a full-time head coach.
KOGAS defeated Seoul SK 79-66 on Monday at Jamsil Student Gymnasium in Songpa-gu, Seoul, in an away game of the 2023-2024 Korean Basketball Association regular season.
With the win in its first game after the break, KOGAS maintained seventh place with an 18-26 record. They are now 5.5 games behind sixth-place Busan KCC for the final playoff spot. SK, 스포츠토토 on the other hand, dropped one spot to fourth place with 26 points and 18 losses.
KOGAS blitzed SK from the start, with Andrew Nicholson and Shin Seung-min hitting two three-pointers apiece, and took advantage of SK’s 24 percent field goal percentage to build a 17-point lead at one point.
KOGAS continued to dominate in the second quarter, with Duvan Maxwell, Shin Seung-min and Kim Nak-hyun all hitting the rim, and Chabawi also providing outside shooting support to make it a 36-18, double-digit lead at one point.
Going into the third quarter with a 44-34 lead, KOGAS got another three-pointer from Nicholson and a steal by Seung-min Shin that Nicholson converted into a basket.
Chabawi hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the quarter and give KOGAS an 18-point lead.
In the final quarter, KOGAS fell behind with eight straight points, including six points from SK’s Choi Buk-kyung alone, but Nicholson’s block of Warney’s dunk with 6:10 left in regulation gave them a breather.
Chabawi and Nicholson hit back-to-back 3-pointers, and Nicholson hit a mid-range jumper to make it 76-62 with 1:35 left in regulation.
KOGAS was led by Nicholson with 31 points and 12 rebounds and Shin Seung-min with 14 points and five assists.
SK was led by Warney’s 20 points and Ahn Young-joon’s 13 points.
Meanwhile, SK’s Oh Se-geun, who took the court midway through the first quarter, became the 52nd player in the KBL to reach the 500-game milestone.
Goyang Sono defeated Ulsan Hyundai Mobis 83-73 away from home. With their first win since the break, Sono remained in eighth place with a 15-29 record. Hyundai Mobis dropped from fifth place with 24 wins and 20 losses.
SONO surrendered the lead to Hyundai Mobis in the first quarter, but battled back in the second to end the first half trailing by one point, 39-40.
SONO went into the final quarter with a huge 69-57 lead, thanks to Lee’s performance in the third quarter, where he hit two three-pointers and dished out three assists.
The one-man show continued in the fourth quarter, with Lee’s outside shot cracking the rim with 4:43 left in regulation.
SONO was led by Lee’s 29 points and five assists, including four three-pointers, and Chinanu Onuaku’s 14 points and eight rebounds.
Hyundai Mobis was led by Gage Prim with 34 points, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the team from losing.
Changwon LG blasted Anyang Jungkwanjang at home, 97-64, by a whopping 33 points. LG moved into sole possession of third place with 27 wins and 17 losses.
Jungkwanjang, which has lost its last 10 home games and 16 away games in a row – the longest losing streak in franchise history – dropped from ninth place to 13th with 31 points.
LG unleashed a merciless barrage against a helpless Jungkwanjang.
After already leading by 27 points at halftime, LG turned the tide of the game early with a basket by Asem Marei midway through the third quarter to make it a 31-point game.
In the fourth quarter, the gap remained within 30 points between the two teams, and LG, which had a significant 40-23 advantage in rebounds, scored 97 points to secure the win.
LG was led by Justin Gutang’s 15 points and eight rebounds, while all 12 starters scored, including Marei (12 points), Yoo Yoo-sang (11 points), and Jung Hee-jae (10 points).
Jung Kwan-jang was led by Jamil Wilson with 19 points and Park Ji-hoon with 18 points.