“We touched the players’ pride”
Dongguk University defeated Kyung Hee University 82-69 in a men’s college game of the 2023 KUSF University Basketball U-League on Thursday at Dongguk University Gymnasium. Dongguk University’s record in the university league is 5-8. They have a good shot at the playoffs.
Park Seung-jae (180 cm, G) had a triple-double with 22 points, including six 3-pointers, seven rebounds, 12 assists, and two steals. Baek Seung-yeop (184 cm, G) also had a strong game with 19 points, five rebounds, one assist, and two steals, including five three-pointers.
Dongguk University head coach Lee Ho-geun said after the game, “We were in the same situation as Kyung Hee University. If we lost, our chances of making the playoffs would be gone. I told the players to play with pride because it was a game that could end in elimination. They played with a lot of passion,” he said, giving credit to the players.
“We played a small lineup tonight, utilizing our perimeter players more than our big men. The small lineup was effective. If we can shoot as many threes as we did tonight, I’ll be happy. We’ll take the momentum from this game and do well in future games. The big men had some jitters, but they settled down and played well in the second half.”
Dongguk University struggled at the beginning of the season with five straight losses. They suffered many close losses.
“I emphasized pride to the players. “I told them, ‘This is how Dongguk University is supposed to be.’ Both the players and the coaching staff have pride. I touched their pride. The players recognized the problems and fixed them one by one,” he explained. 메이저놀이터
“All the games we lost, we lost because of rebounding. So, we always emphasized rebounding. In this game, we were outrebounded in both halves. We executed our game plan well. We did a good job of attacking their zone defense from the three-point line in the third quarter,” he concluded.