Professional basketball’s Seoul Samsung snapped an eight-game losing streak by sending Daegu Korea Gas Corporation to a franchise-record 10th straight loss.
Samsung defeated GAS 84-63 in a home game of the 2023-2024 regular season at Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium in Seoul on Wednesday.
Samsung, which had dropped eight games since its last home game against GASCO (84-80) on March 31, snapped its losing streak by beating GASCO at home. Samsung, which improved to 3-10 on the season, remained in ninth place.
Gasworks, on the other hand, remained at the bottom of the table (1-12) with a 10-game losing streak since its victory over Seoul SK (96-94) on March 29, tying the club’s record for the longest losing streak.
After a back-and-forth start to the game, Samsung took the lead late in the first quarter.
A three-point play by Kofi Coburn and a bank shot by Kim Si-rae made it 19-12 with two and a half minutes left in the first quarter, and they finished the quarter 25-17.
After Gazprom went scoreless for nearly five minutes to start the second quarter, Samsung built a double-digit lead, which grew to more than 20 points with 1:44 to go, 42-21, on an Ishmael Lane layup.
Gasworks, who were held to just four points in the second quarter on 10 percent shooting from the field, found themselves in a more difficult situation when Andrew Nicholson picked up his fourth personal foul before the half ended.
Samsung’s hot streak continued early in the second half, pushing their lead to over 30 points at 52-21 with 7:40 left in the third quarter.
After Nicholson finally fouled out with five fouls with 6:25 left in the third quarter, Samsung pulled all of its starters, including Coburn and Lee Jung-hyun, to ease into the game.
After closing the gap in the third quarter, led by 12 points from Samjosef Belangel and 10 from Lee Dae-heon, GASCO held Samsung scoreless for the first four-plus minutes of the fourth quarter and went on an onslaught, pulling within 58-66 with 5:40 left.
But then GASCO’s remaining foreign player, Anthony Moss, was ejected with five fouls, and Samsung, led by Lane and Lee Won-seok, began to pull away, and the veteran duo of Lee Jung-hyun and Kim Si-rae sealed the win.
Samsung’s two foreign players led the way with 19 points and seven rebounds for Lane and 17 points and 11 rebounds for Coburn, while Kim Si-rae added 15 points, six assists and five rebounds. Lee Jung-hyun added nine points and eight assists.
For Gasworks, Lee Dae-heon scored 27 points and Belangel finished with 18 points.
In a matchup of “twin brother commanders” at Changwon Gymnasium, Changwon LG, led by “older” coach Cho Sang-hyun, defeated Ulsan Hyundai Mobis, led by “younger” coach Cho Dong-hyun, 97-76, for its third straight win.
LG, which was tied for third place with Seoul SK (7-4), moved into sole possession of third place (8-4), while the Hyundai Mobis remained in sixth place (6-7).
LG’s Asem Marei had a triple-double with 21 points, 12 rebounds and six assists, while Lee Kwan-hee added 17 points, including five 3-pointers.
For Hyundai Mobis, Jang Jae-seok and Kebe Aluma led the team with 12 points, while Gage Prim, who poured in a career-high 41 points last game, was held to nine points. 슬롯게이밍