CheongKwanJang chases by 1.5 games… DB 3 consecutive wins, Samsung 4 straight losses
| Photo = Park Ji-hoon of Jeonggwanjang [KBL 제공] |
[알파경제=박병성 기자] Professional basketball player Anyang Jeong Kwan-jang put the brakes on the winning streak of leader Changwon LG and ignited the competition for the championship. Cheong Kwan Jang defeated LG 72-56 in the 2025-2026 LG Electronics professional basketball regular league away game held at Changwon Gymnasium on the 28th.
With this win, Cheong Kwan Jang recorded 17 wins and 9 losses, narrowing the gap with LG, the leader with 18 wins and 7 losses, to 1.5 games. LG, which had recently been on a 4-game winning streak, saw its upward trend decline, providing an excuse to catch up.
From the beginning of the game, Cheong Gwan-jang gained momentum with his sharp outside guns. In the first quarter alone, they made five 3-point shots to take a 20-14 lead, and in the second quarter, thanks to even scoring support from Park Ji-hoon and Bryce Washington, they finished the first half with a 41-30 lead.
LG showed an overall poor performance in the first half, with a 3-point shooting success rate of only 10%. In particular, the absence of Assem Marey, who left midway through the second quarter due to a pelvic injury, was painful. Michael Eric, who replaced Marey, contributed with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the third quarter alone, but there was a lack of scoring support from other players.
Cheong Kwan Jang continued its strong pressure defense in the third quarter, widening the lead to 59-44. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, LG allowed Heo Il-young to make a 3-point shot, allowing them to trail by 63-53, but Kim Young-hyun’s outside shot, Johnny O’Bryant’s mid-range shot, and Han Seung-hee’s layup allowed them to score consecutive points and take the win.
At Jeonggwanjang, Park Ji-hoon contributed 20 points and 5 assists, O’Bryant added 12 points and 8 rebounds, Washington added 8 points, and Byun Jun-hyung and Lens Abando added 7 points each. At LG, Eric struggled with 20 points and 14 rebounds, but Marey’s injury and a low 3-point shooting success rate of only 2 successes out of 22 attempts were the reasons for the loss.
Meanwhile, Wonju DB won three games in a row by beating Seoul Samsung 81-67 at home. DB continued to compete for the top spot with a record of 16 wins and 10 losses, while Samsung fell into a quagmire of 4 consecutive losses with 9 wins and 16 losses. DB led by as much as 23 points in the second quarter, but allowed a comeback in the third quarter. However, they won the game with six 3-point shots in the fourth quarter. DB’s ace Ethan Albano recorded 14 points and 8 assists, Essam Mustapha scored 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Jeong Hyo-geun led the victory with 11 points, including three 3-point shots. For Samsung, Andrew Nicholson scored 21 points, but it was overshadowed by the team’s loss.
Reporter Park Byeong-seong of Alpha Economy ([email protected])
