It was literally a battle in which you couldn't see an inch ahead. Suwon KT eked out a 1-point victory over Daegu Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) to extend its winning streak.
Suwon KT defeated Daegu Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) 75-74 in an away game of the 2025-26 LG Electronics professional basketball regular season held at Daegu Gymnasium on Feb. 26.
Riding a two-game winning streak, KT stood alone in fifth place with a 19-17 season record. In particular, KT's victory in Daegu was the first in about two years since Dec. 2023. By contrast, Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) sank into a four-game losing skid and fell to the bottom alone (11-24).
It was a hard-fought victory. The two teams exchanged scores from the start in a seesaw game. KT pulled ahead with 3-pointers from Moon Seong-gon and Ijayaa Hicks. For Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS), Ra Geon-ah scored 12 points in the first quarter alone, but support from domestic players was lacking. KT closed the first quarter 24-18 after Lee Doo-won's deep three also went in.
In the second quarter, Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) turned the game around. Benny Boatright led the comeback by sinking as many as five outside shots, and Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) also got the upper hand in the rebound battle. KT finished the first half trailing 40-46.
A close battle continued in the second half. KT regained the lead thanks to Kang Seong-wook's standout performance, who scored 10 points on his own. Hicks also contributed both inside and out. But in the final five minutes they added only three points, and Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS), which had the advantage on offensive rebounds, again took the lead. At the end of the third quarter KT trailed 58-65.
KT launched a counterattack early in the fourth quarter. Derrick Williams received a beautiful pass from Kang Seong-wook and finished with an alley-oop dunk, then made a 3-pointer and a jumper to tie it 65-65. Conversely, Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) suffered a sharp shooting slump and allowed the comeback.
KT barely held on for the win. With about a minute left, Sam Joseph Bellangel sank a valuable 3-pointer, and 29 seconds earlier Shin Seung-min made both free throws to put Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) ahead 74-73. But KT immediately took the lead when Moon Jeong-hyeon made both free throws earned from a foul, and they became the winners by stopping Ra Geon-ah's final attack.
Williams had 20 points and four rebounds, and Hicks recorded 14 points and two rebounds. Among domestic players, Lee Doo-won and Kang Seong-wook did their parts with 8 points and 11 rebounds and 12 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists, respectively. Moon Jeong-hyeon also added 8 points and 7 rebounds.
Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS)'s Boatright fought valiantly with 23 points and 3 rebounds, and Ra Geon-ah had 19 points and 7 rebounds, but it was not enough. Bellangel scored 10 points, but it was disappointing that he attempted eight shots and made only one 3-pointer.
[Photo] Provided by KBL.
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