It was a showdown between the two teams that failed the preliminary round at the MBC Cup. If the team wins on the day, it is highly likely to advance to the semifinals by ranking second in the group. It was a close match that cannot be avoided.
Dankook University entered the competition with better performance than MBC’s. Freshman Shin Hyun-bin stepped on the court for the first time on the day. Seo Dong-won, who was injured, also returned.
Moreover, Dankook University was playing 10 consecutive games against Myeongji University in the College Basketball League. The last loss was on June 18, 2014, when it lost 66-75.
Myeongji University also had a regrettable loss despite good performance in the college basketball league or MBC Cup this year. It has the capacity to rebound at any time.
Both teams engaged in a fierce battle of momentum early in the match. As of the end of the first half, the gap between the two teams was five points (31-26, Myeongji University has the upper hand). Myungji University, led by Lee Min-cheol and Jun Ha-gun, finished the first half with a two-point lead over Dankook University, led by Song Jae-hwan and Shin Hyun-bin.
Myeongji started the third quarter on shaky ground. As soon as the third quarter started, the team was tightly bound by Dankook’s regional defense. Failure of fielding was an excuse for Dankook’s fast attack. With 7:50 left, the team trailed by 33-38, five points.
Myeongji called in the opening hour and reorganized the team. Harigan recovered the momentum by successfully hitting a jumper. Dankook’s poor field throws were quickly connected, turning the tables. Dankook’s scoring just two of its six free throws in the final minutes of the third quarter was another significant contributor to its dominance. Myeongji ended the third quarter 48-42.
Early in the fourth quarter, the performance was similar to that of the third quarter. Myung-ji allowed Shin Hyun-bin to throw a free throw and then allowed Hwang Ji-min to score five points in a row like in the third quarter. After coming from behind 48-49, Myung-ji turned the tables again with So Jun-hyuk’s three-point shot.
Myeongji seemed to be in danger, with Lee Min-chul being sent off for five fouls with 6:27 left. However, starting with Jang Ji-min’s 3-pointer, Lee Tae-woo, Park Ji-hwan, and Harry Gunn’s successive 9-point attempts led to a 60-49 rather 11-point deficit.
Myeongji had two wins and one loss in the final round last year, but was eliminated from the preliminary round due to differences in gains and losses. Only when the gap is widened to the maximum, the team can advance to the semifinals even if it loses the match against Hanyang University. Myungji scored with 1.2 seconds left before the end of the match, ending the match with a gap of 15 points.안전놀이터
Harry Gun (23 points and 15 rebounds), Lee Min-cheol (16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals), and Jang Ji-min (13 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 3-pointers) stood out in offense. So Jun-hyuk fell into a slump in 3-point shooting (1/8) and scored only 6 points, but he grabbed 11 rebounds to help his team win.
Dankook University lost the victory to Myongji University by being absolutely inferior to 25-48 in rebounds despite the struggles of Song Jae-hwan (18 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks) and Shin Hyun-bin (17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists), and Hwang Ji-min (15 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists).