Lee Dae-heon (31, 197 cm, forward) was the difference maker in the win.
Lee finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and two assists in the 2023-24 regular season game against Seoul Samsung at Daegu Indoor Gymnasium on Saturday.
Lee’s performance helped Daegu KOGAS defeat the Samsung 85-79 in a tightly contested game behind Andrew Nicholson (29 points, 10 rebounds) and Kim Nak-hyun (18 points, 3 rebounds). With the result, KOG improved to 16-23 and cut the gap to four games over sixth-place Busan KCC.
Lee Dae-heon started the game in the starting lineup. He was matched up against Cha Min-seok. Cha Min-seok is a promising prospect for Samsung. Lee Dae-heon did not disappoint. He tried to break through with a series of face-ups and scored six points while playing all 10 minutes. Two rebounds were a bonus. Cha Min-seok, who failed to meet Lee’s mark, was only able to play 4 minutes and 15 seconds.
Lee formed a trio with Nicholson, who poured in 11 points, and Shin Seung-min, who added eight points, to give the team a three-point lead, 27-24.
In the second quarter, Lee Dae-heon, who played 6:52 of the game, helped keep the game close with his Altoran-like play. He mainly matched up with Lee Won-seok and made both of his free throws. Lee used his speed and flair to break through and score. He also grabbed one more rebound.
In the third quarter, KOGAS was down 16-24, outplayed by Samsung’s highly focused and diverse offense. Lee Dae-heon remained the same as he was in the second quarter and scored the points that set the stage for the fourth quarter comeback. He finished with a -8 margin, but added two rebounds in a steady quarter.
In the decisive fourth quarter, Lee played all 10 minutes. He finished with three points, three rebounds, and two assists. He added an impressive two 파워볼실시간 assists to go along with his steady stats. In the fourth quarter, KOGAS made a thrilling comeback thanks to four three-pointers from Kim Nak-hyun, but it was an unheralded performance from Nicholson’s relative ineffectiveness.
After the game, acting head coach Kang Hyuk said, “It was a tough game, but in the fourth quarter, Dae-heon and Nak-hyun took the responsibility and solved the problem, so it was a good result. We gave up nine points in the fourth quarter, which was the defense we promised, and I want to praise them for winning in the fourth quarter after it didn’t work at first.”
Lee Dae-heon is now indispensable to KOGAS. Along with Kim Nak-hyun, he must fulfill his role as a domestic player leader. Lee has been lacking in consistency, but on this day, he did his job regardless of the atmosphere.
He’s a great addition to KOGAS’ upward trend.