Korea Gas Corporation's Momentum, And Even SK, The Second Place, Caught
Professional basketball team Daegu Korea Gas Corporation is showing unusual performance. After four consecutive wins, the team slowed down due to a loss against Hyundai Mobis in Ulsan, but changed the mood again by catching the second-ranked Seoul SK in the enemy territory. Andrew Nicholson scored 20 points in the first half alone to win the game early on, and eventually made a valuable victory.
Korea Gas Corporation, led by acting coach Kang Hyuk, defeated SK 88-75 in the 2023-24 professional basketball away game held at Jamsil Student Gymnasium in Seoul on the 22nd.
With the victory, Korea Gas Corporation has recently recorded five wins and one loss, narrowing the gap with seventh-ranked Anyang Jeonggwanjang by 0.5 games with 12 wins and 21 losses. It is four games behind sixth-ranked Hyundai Mobis. On the other hand, SK bowed its head, failing to continue its upward trend, which had led the team to the Wonju DB after two consecutive losses. It had 23 wins and 11 losses, and the gap with the leading DB widened to four games again.
With many injured players in both teams, Korea Gas Corporation, which is without Kim Nak-hyun and Lee Dae-heon, showed off the performances of two foreign players, Nicholson and Bellangel. Nicholson scored 14 points in the first quarter alone, leading the way for Hankugas Corporation to gain the upper hand early on. He played 24 minutes and 14 seconds, recording 33 points with 9 rebounds and 3 assists. Bellangel also hit a series of three-point shots at important moments, adding 17 points and 5 assists, and Park Ji-hoon also scored 13 points, respectively. In SK, where Kim Sun-hyung, Ahn Young-joon, and Heo Il-young left the battle line, Jamil Warney fought hard with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists, but no other player helped with double-digit points other than Warney.
Ahead of the match, SK manager Jeon Hee-chul said, "(The opponent team) was missing Kim Nak-hyeon and Lee Dae-heon, but their energy level has improved a lot. Notably, Nicholson is such a good scorer. Just because our ranking is higher, we decided not to consider the opponent team to be lower than the opponent team, but to play the game." It could be a different feeling from before. After finishing the first quarter or the first half, we need to change the form of defense depending on Nicholson's condition. Compared to the opponent team, we are averaging speed pitches in all three recent games. We need to earn about eight to 10 easy points. I think we need to secure easy points in the transition game to take the lead."
Kang Hyuk, acting coach of Korea Gas Corporation, said, "We prepared as usual. Kim Nak-hyun left due to injury, but other players have done well so far. As the player base is thin, he is physically burdened. The same goes for Belangel, the only guard. I'm worried, but the team atmosphere is very good these days. The players are trying to play one more step, and they are trying to participate in the rebound more actively. The players know. I believe the players will do their best."
Korea Gas Corporation, the away team, has taken the lead. Nicholson, whom Jeon Hee-chul was most wary of even before the game, flew in. Nicholson opened the scoring with Park's steal, and broke the balance with a three-point shot from a corner while leading 2-2. Since then, Korea Gas Corporation has rapidly widened the gap by banking on consecutive steals by Park Ji-hoon and Shin Seung-min. The gap widened to 11-2 midway through the first quarter.
For SK, Warnie managed to break the silence that lasted for more than three minutes after scoring, but Korea Gas Corporation also countered with Nicholson's consecutive goals. Nicholson won applause from the audience by making a jumper following a flashy dribble. SK countered with changes by putting in Oh Se-geun, but Korea Gas Corporation led 20-10 with Shin Seung-min's "And One" play.
However, SK also launched counterattacks at the end of the first quarter. After Oh Se-geun's goal scored under the basket, Yang Woo-seop's outer shot exploded to narrow the gap to five points. Since then, there has been a fierce battle. When Korea Gas Corporation cut off the flow of SK with Bellangel's floater, Oh Se-geun countered with a goal under the basket after fierce competition. The Korea Gas Corporation's answer to this was Nicholson's outer shot.
In the first quarter, Korea Gas Corporation led 25-17. Nicholson scored a whopping 14 points in the first quarter alone, and Shin Seung-min also added five points. For SK, Warney, Oh Se-geun and Oh Jae-hyun each scored four points.
Early in the second quarter, SK fired back. Yang Woo-seop opened the scoring with a three-point shot from a corner kick, and Warnie added a goal under the basket to instantly chase after the rival by three points. Korea Gas Corporation also broke its silence in the second quarter with Nicholson's goal. While Nicholson was taking a break, Belangel's outposts shot exploded. Belangel widened the gap by 10 points again with a three-point shot and an additional free throw when leading 30-24.
Since then, the two teams quickly exchanged attacks, with Choi Boo-kyung and Oh Se-geun for SK and Maxwell and Cha Ba-wi for Korea Gas Corporation. Korea Gas Corporation maintained a lead of around 10 points steadily. Korea Gas Corporation put Nicholson back in with about two minutes left until the end of the second quarter. Immediately after the introduction, Nicholson blocked Choi Boo-kyung's under-the-basket-shot shot, and then made a 3-pointer with an exquisite assist to Park Ji-hoon, widening the gap to 15 points. Nicholson induced Warney's foul with 0.1 seconds left to the end, earning three free throws and making two.
Korea Gas Corp. led the way 49-34 in the first half. Belangel scored seven points including two three-point shots, and Nicholson also scored six points, respectively. For SK, Warney scored six points and Choi Boo-kyung scored four. SK's two-point success rate in the second quarter was only 38 percent.
Korea Gas Corporation seemed to solidify its win early in the third quarter. Belangel's consecutive goals widened the gap to 53-34. When SK chased after Oh with Song Chang-yong's three-point shot and Oh Se-geun's free throw, Nicholson succeeded in a powerful one-handed dunk in front of Oh and even garnered an additional free throw. Oh and SK bench insisted on the attacker's foul, but the decision was not reversed, and Nicholson even garnered an additional free throw.
After midway through the third quarter, however, SK completely changed the mood. Warnie scored a series of goals and Korea Gas Corporation's turnovers followed, which changed the tide. On the other hand, Korea Gas Corporation missed the rim due to outer artillery thrown by Nicholson and Shin Seung-min. Song Chang-yong scored a three-point shot from a corner, narrowing the gap to 48-56 and eight points. Song Chang-yong elevated the mood by drawing cheers from the audience.
It was Nicholson who poured cold water on SK's momentum. His jumper from the corner broke the flow that had been tied to 56 points for nearly four minutes. When SK fired back with Warney at the forefront, Nicholson poured cold water again with an accurate outer shot. Nicholson's answer to Choi Boo-kyung's two free throws was another outer shot, and when he was on offense at the end of the third quarter, he added a tenacious under-the-basket-shot goal following the offensive rebound and roared with teammates including the bench.
Until the third quarter, Korea Gas Corporation led 67-54. Nicholson had 13 points and six rebounds in the third quarter alone, and Bellangel also scored five points. In the third quarter, both foreign players scored 18 points for Korea Gas Corporation. Although Warney scored seven points and Song Chang-yong scored six points, SK fell sharply to 6-14 in the number of rebounds.
In the fourth quarter, Korea Gas Corporation, which seeks to secure its victory, and SK, which seeks to stage a final counterattack, fiercely fought from the beginning. Korea Gas Corporation set the tone first. Duvan Maxwell, who was deployed instead of Nicholson, scored the first goal in the fourth quarter, and Park Ji-hoon made two three-point shots in succession, widening the gap again to 75-58. SK also countered this by hitting a three-point shot Yang Woo-sup from a corner.
SK tried to spark a pursuit by banking on its fast attack. However, Korea Gas Corporation also remained focused. Park succeeded in a layup with 5 minutes and 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter, before roaring. Then, he added Maxwell's jumper and Chabawi's outer shot, widening the gap to 84-65. SK tried to narrow the gap to the end, but it was not enough to overturn the victory, which was already leaning heavily. Ultimately, the game ended with a complete victory of 88-75 and 13 points from Korea Gas Corporation.