Lee Doo-won (204 cm, C) helped the team win its fourth straight game in a close contest.
Suwon KT defeated the Ulsan Hyundai Mobis 75-74 on Nov. 11 in a regular season game of the 2023-2024 Korean Basketball Association at the Suwon KT Sonic Boom Arena.
The win was KT’s fourth straight and moved them into a tie for second place in the standings with Changwon LG and Anyang Jeonggwanjang.
While KT’s winning streak was successful, it wasn’t easy. The team struggled in the second quarter, losing a 36-42 lead. Han Hee-won (195 cm F) and Ha Yoon-ki (203 cm C) were all over the court, racking up points, but the team’s leading scorer, Paris Bass (207 cm F), was held to two points in the second quarter.
From the middle of the third quarter onward, KT went with a long lineup. By playing Ha Yoon-ki, Bass, and Lee Doo-won at the same time, it was clear that head coach Song Young-jin wanted to keep Hyundai Mobis at a high level.
Lee Doo-won had earlier substituted for Ha Yoon-ki in the second quarter and focused on balancing the court, grabbing two rebounds and doing the heavy lifting in the post.
In the third quarter, Lee and Ha marked Hyundai Mobis’ big men, Kebe Aluma (206 cm, F) and Jang Jae-seok (203 cm, C). Although he gave up an easy basket to Aluma due to a defensive mistake, he was able to box out and grab the rebound. KT’s 11 team rebounds in the third quarter outpaced Hyundai Mobis’ eight. This was due in large part to Lee Du-won, who grabbed two defensive rebounds.
In the fourth quarter, Lee continued his stellar performance on the court. He recorded a steal against Hyundai Mobis’ Ham Ji-hoon and showed his focus by scoring an easy basket off a pass from Han Hee-won.
In particular, Lee turned the game into a seesaw with 2:43 left in the fourth quarter when he took a pass from Jung Sung-woo and made a bold midrange play. With the game tied at 74-74 with just over a minute to play, Lee grabbed a defensive rebound and drew a foul on Ham Ji-hoon (198 cm, F), giving him a chance to make the free throw.
Due to nerves, Lee missed the first free throw, but made the second to take a 75-74 lead. In the end, Hyundai Mobis failed to make the final shot, allowing KT to celebrate their fourth straight win at home.
Lee Doo-won left the court with five fouls just before the end of the game, but he still managed to score five points and grab six rebounds to help KT win behind the scenes.
KT coaches Song Young-jin and Ha Yoon-ki were also pleased with Lee’s performance. Song said, “(Lee) played hard on the (gauge) prime defense and got rebounds at the right time, so I think it was a good performance,” while Ha said, “I think it’s good that 바카라 he can attack with his size in the post when the opponent switches to the all-switch. I think it’s good for rebounding and defense.” He expressed his confidence.
Lee, who is in his second year as a professional, is averaging 3.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per game this season. He is an integral part of KT’s post game, either assisting or playing alongside Ha Yoon-ki.
Fans are keeping an eye on his height to see if he can capitalize on his confidence in the post.