By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Negrense Samjosef Belangel and the Daegu Korea Gas Corporation Pegasus suffered a close 69-67 defeat to the Changwon LG Sakers in the Korean Basketball League at the Changwon Gymnasium on Thursday, January 30.

Belangel concluded the game with 23 points, including three outside conversions, to go with seven assists and two rebounds, as the Pegasus dropped to an 18-15 record.

“The defense we prepared for at the beginning of the game didn’t work out well, so we handed over the flow to the opponent,” Pegasus head coach Kang Hyuk said after the game.

“After that, the players organized it well and played a close game. What’s disappointing is that we gave up offensive rebounds in the second half and that we didn’t score much on offense,” he added.

Carl Tamayo finished with 14 points, three rebounds, three assists, and a steal as the LG Sakers won their sixth straight for a 20-13 win-loss record.

Assem Marei returned from injury to contribute a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Yang Jun-seok also ended with 14 points, including a go-ahead basket with more than a minute left.

“It was a tough game, our opponent was a team with good outside shooting,” LG Sakers head coach Cho Sang-hyun said after the game.

“Our team regrouped at the half and took control of the defense well in the second half,” he said.

“Honestly, the players’ condition wasn’t very good. Despite that, I’m grateful for the good results. Also, we were able to win because we had equal rebounds,” he added.

Andrew Nicholson also made his presence felt with Pegasus, with a double-double of 23 points and 12 boards, but missed a game-winning three-pointer with 11 seconds left./ASC, WDJ