Don't look at the 2nd place! LG ran away with half a sweat at the last minute...3rd place and 1.5 game lead again, and 4 consecutive losses at GAS Corporation without Ndoye

Mar 23, 2025

Men's professional basketball Changwon LG ran away from the competition for second place again.

LG beat Daegu Korea Gas Corporation 85-81 in a home game of '2024-2025 KCC Professional Basketball' held at Changwon Indoor Gymnasium on the 23rd.

As a result, LG, which has reached the 30th win (18 losses), has successfully widened the gap with third-place Suwon KT (28 wins and 19 losses) to 1.5 games. Korea Gas Corporation has lost four consecutive games.

Before the start of the game, the atmosphere of the two teams was strangely different. More than ever, it was the same that we needed a must-win. LG, which lost to second-place rival KT the previous day, desperately needed a victory to make up for it because it was narrowed down to one game. In particular, LG, which was pushed back to 2 wins and 4 losses in its competition with KT due to the loss of the final regular league showdown, was the only breakthrough when determining the final ranking, even considering the possible relative comparison.

No. 5 Korea Gas Corporation will advance to the semifinal playoff unless something unexpected happens, but it has recently suffered ups and downs with three consecutive losses. In all three consecutive losses, the loss by five points was even more regrettable.

The atmosphere of emptying the minds of the coaches of both teams was similar. Kang Hyuk, director of the Korea Gas Corporation, said that the aftermath of the vacuum of mercenary Eun Do-ye was too great. After returning from a recent call-up to the Senegal national team, he has been absent due to his poor performance along with injuries, and his team has also lost consecutive games.

Coach Kang said, `Because Nicholson is weak in defense, Ndoye has been able to hold out under the basket, including rebounds. Nicholson's score is lacking a lot in the recent losing process, but he is worried that he is having a hard time running alone without silverware. Coach Kang, who played for two consecutive days following the match against Wonju DB (74:79 loss) the previous day, said, `In the past, Nicholson was so tired even in the second consecutive home games that I walked around in the second half of the game"Yeon was also burdened. For Nicholson, 36, it was worth it. Moreover, the opponent's powerful rebound expert Asem Marei caught 20 to 30 rebounds every time he played against Korea Gas Corporation, so coach Kang seemed to have a greater foreboding.

LG manager Cho Sang-hyun emptied his mind in a different way. He said, `I'm just grateful that the Korean main players who played as Six Men until last year came this far.' Regarding Ndoye's absence "I was defeated in the previous game against KT when Ration Hammonds was absent.", he couldn't let go of his guard, but he couldn't hide his relaxed expression.

The atmosphere was strangely different, but it was not difficult to predict LG's victory. LG took the lead without difficulty after a brief close game at the beginning of the first quarter. Nicholson held out early for two against LG, who alternately deployed Maray and Darryl Monroe, but served as a troubleshooter whenever LG's Asian quarter Cal Tamayo was needed.

LG, which started 27-20 in the first quarter, predicted victory early in the second quarter. Korea Gas Corporation said Nicholson had a tearful fight full-time, but lacked the support of domestic players. LG induced a double-digit lead in the middle of the quarter with Heo Il-young's three consecutive three-point shots, and the organic merchant also activated an outside shot at the end of the quarter. The score was a whopping 19 points (54-35) when three consecutive points in the game were entered just before the end of the quarter.

In the meantime, Nicholson seemed to be exhausted in the end, walking when wearing a backcoat.

Still, Korea Gas Corporation's second half fighting spirit drew attention. Nicholson struggled in the third quarter, including two three-point shots, and kept holding back LG, who wanted to run away more. In the fourth quarter, Korea Gas Corporation trailed by eight points (60-68) in the beginning, but slowed down due to three consecutive three-pointers by the game player. Nevertheless, Korea Gas Corporation, which did not give up, chased to 76-83 with Vellangel's 3-pointer 2 minutes and 2 seconds before the end of the game, and threatened to 81-84 with Jung Sung-woo's 3-pointer and Nicholson's shot under the basket about a minute before the end. However, there was not enough time left and it was regrettable that he lost his last chance to attack. Meanwhile, Maray, who committed one U foul, endured well until the end despite a series of rough marks from his opponent to induce excitement. Meanwhile, Maray, who committed one U foul, endured well until the end despite a series of rough marks from his opponent to induce excitement.

In the previous game, Busan KCC beat regular winner Seoul SK 81-71 to escape from a second consecutive loss, and Anyang Jeong Kwan-jang beat Ulsan Hyundai Mobis 87-84 to lose four consecutive games and tied for sixth (21-27) with Wonju DB again.

Changwon = Reporter Choi Man-sik cms@sportschosun.com

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.