By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Samjosef Belangel and the Daegu Korea Gas Corporation Pegasus clinched a playoff seat in the Korean Basketball League (KBL) after a 75-74 escape over the Seoul SK Knights at the Daegu Gymnasium.

The Negrense guard finished with 14 points, with eight coming in the fourth quarter, to go with eight assists, three steals and two rebounds as the Pegasus improved to a 26-25 win-loss record.

Andrew Nicholson led the way with 27 points and eight rebounds.

Kim Jun-il added 18 markers and five boards, while Jeong Seong-woo ended up with 11 markers in the victory.

“One of my goals for this season was to play playoff basketball with the players. I feel good about keeping my promise,” Pegasus head coach Kang Hyuk said after the game.

“It’s not the end. We will try to win more games in Daegu,” he said.

“The defense wasn’t bad, but we didn’t get easy points on offense and our rebounds weren’t good. We didn’t do well in the second half either. We need to fix our rebound disadvantage,” he added.

Jameel Warney tallied 21 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists.

Youngjun Ahn added 12 points and nine rebounds, while Juan Gomez de Liaño contributed five points as the SK Knights remained on top with a 40-11 win-loss slate.

Meanwhile, Carl Tamayo and the Changwon LG Sakers climbed to solo second place with a 97-72 victory over defending champion Busan KCC Egis at the Busan Sajik Gymnasium.

The former University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons forward finished with a team-high of 19 points and seven rebounds as the LG Sakers climbed to a 32-19 slate in the standings.

Yu-ki Sang added 18 points, including five three-point conversions.

Assem Marei had 13 points, 15 rebounds and six assists, while Darryl Monroe ended with 11 points for Changwon.

Heo Ung finished with 20 points, Donovan Smith added 14 markers, while Filipino-American Calvin Epistola ended with five points as the Egis are unlikely to defend their crown after dropping to a 17-33 record for eighth place./ASC, WDJ