Dankook University crosses the threshold into the playoffs.
Dankook University won 76-71 at home against Kookmin University in the 2023 KUSF University Basketball U-League at Dankook University Cheonan Campus Gymnasium on the 26th. With the win, Dankook maintained sole possession of fourth place with a 6-4 record and moved closer to the playoffs. With seven wins, which is a 5 per cent chance of making the playoffs, the team is considered a safe bet. KU, which has lost two in a row after winning three straight, dropped one spot to ninth with a 4-6 record.
Na Sung-ho led the way with 21 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks, including five three-pointers. Lee Kyung-do also helped his team to victory with an even 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals. Song Jae-hwan (11 points, four rebounds, two assists), Lee Doo-ho (seven points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals), Choi Kang-min (seven points, three rebounds), and Song In-joon (six points, seven rebounds, two blocks) were also integral to Dankook’s victory.
Kim Jun-young had a game-high 24 points, four rebounds, two assists and four three-pointers in the loss. Freddie finished with 13 points, 18 rebounds and three blocks.
Dankook University took the lead from the start of the game. Dankook opened the game with a three-point play by Lee Kyung-do and then took a 15-5 lead thanks to consecutive three-pointers by Choi Kang-min, Lee Kyung-do, and Na Sung-ho. The score remained within 10 points until the end of the first quarter.
Dankook’s full-court pressure defence forced KU’s mistakes (7 in the first quarter), and its advantage in offensive rebounds (6-3 in the first quarter) was the driving force behind its 23-15 lead in the first quarter.
For KU, the main concern was Cho Hwan-hee, who picked up three fouls in the first quarter.
Dankook opened the second quarter with five straight points from Song In-joon and Na Sung-ho to take a 28-13 lead. After maintaining a double-digit lead, Dankook fell into a scoring silence after the midway point of the second quarter and trailed 37-28.
Dankook turned the tide with a lucky shot clock buzzer beater three-pointer by Song Jae-hwan at the 24-second mark. Lee Du-ho then drew Cho Hwan-hee’s fifth foul with 1:24 left.
Dankook ended the first half with a 44-32 lead.
KU had the task of overcoming a 메이저사이트12-point deficit in the second 20 minutes without Cho Hwan-hee. Kim Jun-young and Park Sang-woo also had three fouls.
Throughout the third quarter, KU would make a run and Dankook would pull away. Trailing 57-50 at the end of the third quarter, KU extended its lead to 12 points with five straight points from Na Sung-ho. However, with 0.3 seconds left, Freddie scored an offensive rebound followed by a basket to end the quarter with a 10-point lead, 62-52.
Despite the 10-point advantage, KU lost Lee Doo-ho to five fouls at the end of the third quarter, while Song In-joon, Song Jae-hwan, and Choi Kang-min had four fouls.
KU entered the fourth quarter in a chasing mode, as Kim Jun-young filled the void left by Cho Hwan-hee and drastically reduced their mistakes (11 in the first quarter, 1 in the third).
The fourth quarter was no different from the previous one. The teams traded baskets and continued to battle around the 10-point mark. With less than two minutes left in the game, the tension was suddenly palpable. Dankook was in trouble after Song Jae-hwan and Choi Kang-min were sent off for five fouls, allowing Kim Jun-young and Yeo Chan-young to make three-point plays to cut the deficit to 74-69. There was 1 minute and 4 seconds left.
At the crunch time, Dankook pulled away from KU as Lee Kyung-do made a jumper to seal the win.