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| Photo courtesy=KBL |
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| Photo courtesy=KBL |
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Suwon KT overcame injury variables and won.
Suwon KT, led by head coach Song Young-jin, won 72-54 in an away game against Seoul Samsung at Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium on the 24th. KT (29 wins and 19 losses) has won two consecutive games, narrowing the gap with second-place Changwon LG (30 wins and 18 losses). Raytheon Hammonds (18 points-6 rebounds), Ha Yoon-ki (18 points-9 rebounds), and Park Sung-jae (10 points) scored double-digit points to win. On the other hand, Samsung (15 wins and 32 losses) has lost two consecutive games. Missed the chance to escape the bottom.
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| Photo courtesy=KBL |
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| Photo courtesy=KBL |
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They were two teams with a very different atmosphere. KT is in a fierce battle with Changwon LG and Ulsan Hyundai Mobis for second place. This season, the top two players in the regular league will go straight to the semifinals (PO). Third to sixth place will decide their fate through the semi-final PO. The second-place position means more than just numbers.
A variable has occurred. Alternative foreign player Jarrell Martin left with an injury. Martin joined KT as an alternative foreign player in place of the injured Jordan Morgan. But he was injured after just two games. KT manager Song Young-jin said, `Martin went to the hospital and got a thorough examination. I have to pack up soon. I'm looking for an alternative foreign player. However, it is not easy because of the timing and schedule." Martin injured the blade of his right foot.
Samsung was completely defeated 59:84 in a match against Goyang Sono on the 22nd. Samsung remained at the bottom with 15 wins and 31 losses in the previous 46 games. Samsung ranked at the bottom for the third consecutive season from the 2021-2022 season. There was an urgent need for a 'escape from last place'.
Ahead of the showdown, Samsung coach Kim Hyo-beom said, "(After the previous game) I trained a lot, but it's my fault that I did the wrong training. I want them to be considered responsible. We acknowledged that we did something wrong and said let's do it again"KT is the team with the most offensive rebounds. It emphasized box-out. You have to reduce your mistakes. I organized Kofi Coburn's composition during the post-up. I hope you perform well. There should be more shoot attempts. I was told to hit the rim when I made a mistake. That's because it doesn't allow quick attacks. He hesitates to shoot and makes an error."
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| Photo courtesy=KBL |
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| Photo courtesy=KBL |
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At the beginning of the game, neither team was able to solve the attack. He missed shots repeatedly and failed to score. It was Samsung that set the tone. Choi St. Mary Lee Jung-hyun and Lee Won-seok built the score by operating the outer gun. Samsung led 18-13.
KT chased fiercely at the start of the second quarter. Hammonds led the offense by scoring eight points alone. Samsung was in a hurry. It attempted eight 3-pointers and failed to score a single goal. He refined his tactics through operation time, but failed to close the gap. KT finished the first half 34-25.
In the second half, KT took the atmosphere with it. Starting with Hammons, Huh Hoon, Moon Sung-gon and Ha Yoon-ki scored evenly to widen the gap. Samsung's two-point shooting success rate was only 27% (3/11). KT ran away 55-38.
Last quarter, there was no turnaround. Samsung seemed to fight back with Choi Sung-mo's 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter. KT maintained the lead by combining Moon Jung-hyun's 3-pointer and Moon Sung-gon's fastball. Samsung asked for an operation time and set up a winning move. However, he failed to turn the game around. KT also had the luxury of bringing Hammonds to the bench as the score widened to 70-45 points. KT focused until the end and won two consecutive games.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
