Changwon LG won 93-75 in the third round of the 2023-2024 Jeonggwanjang Professional Basketball match against Seoul Samsung at Changwon Gymnasium on the 17th, keeping it in second place (16 wins and 6 losses).
LG, led by Yang Hong-seok (195cm, F) and Asem Maray (202cm, C), also had a nine-game home run and a seven-game winning streak against Samsung.
LG, which has been showing off its strong performance against Samsung since last season, also won the lead throughout the day and escaped the crisis of losing consecutive games.
Yang displayed remarkable performance along with Maray. Yang played for more than 26 minutes (35 seconds) on the day, scoring 26 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists, which was close to a triple-double. Two steals were a bonus.
Before the game, head coach Eun Hee-seok said, "We have to reduce the runs of the opposing domestic players to have a chance of winning," but as a result, Eun's wish did not come true.
Yang Hong-seok accumulated points one by one through cheerful movements from the beginning. After matching up with Lee Won-seok (207 cm tall, C), he proactively made the most of his mismatches and posted 11 points and four rebounds in the first quarter alone.
Yang Hong-seok, who opened the door with an outside shot, has since made a strong start by focusing on the opponent's bottom of the goal.
Yang was also responsible for scoring the first goal in the second quarter. Starting from this, LG scored 13 points during the first five minutes of the second quarter, instantly widening the gap to 35-18.
As the score gap widened, Yang Hong-seok was also given a break.
Yang Hong-seok, who had time to charge for a while, scored again at the start of the second half. He not only participated in the fast attack with mobility but also added 11 points in the third quarter with his attack ability regardless of inside and outside. He quickly connected his chances of attack to score, and he threw away four assists, not neglecting his role to help his teammates score.
Yang, who boasted a fielding rate of 56 percent through the third quarter, seemed somewhat exhausted in the fourth quarter. As a result, his fielding rate dropped sharply in the final quarter. He played for four minutes (27 seconds) in the fourth quarter and made four field throws, but only one of them split the rim. However, he showed off his hidden pass instinct by assisting Yoo Ki-sang (188 centimeters, G) in 3-pointers that determines the winner's win.
Coach Cho Sang-hyun also praised Yang for his performance after the game. "Each team has strengths and weaknesses in No. 4 position (power forward). Today, Lee targeted areas where outside defense is weak. Since he is better than Won-seok in mobility, he made more outside plays. Hong Seok did a good job of making choices when facing mismatches. "By creating a switch situation, he threw outside shots, played high-low games, and even garnered fouls, which went well," Cho said.
"I thought Lee Won-seok, who was the opponent of the matchup, was poor in defense in the two-man game because he was in the center position. That's why I targeted him. In the second half, the opponent team defended its region and naturally, as I had many chances, I was able to accumulate many points in offense," Yang said, reflecting on the match.
LG's strategy to attack natural enemies with Yang Hong-seok, who did well in all three of them (scoring), catching (rebounding), and spraying (passing), was a huge success.