Sakers beat Promy 82-81 for seventh win in a row

Jeong Hee-jae, right, celebrates after scoring a crucial three points at a KBL match between the Changwon LG Sakers and Wonju DB Promy at Wonju Gymnasium in Wonju, Gangwon on Jan. 17. [YONHAP]

The Changwon LG Sakers won their seventh away game in a row in the KBL after beating Wonju DB Promy in a tight 82-81 game at Wonju Gymnasium in Wonju, Gangwon on Tuesday.

As the score indicates, it was a tough game for both teams.

The Sakers did not start the first quarter the way they wanted, falling behind early on with 19-12 on the board at the buzzer. They bounced back, however, in the second quarter to take the score to 38-37.

They could not extend that lead in the third quarter as Promy closed the game to tie things up at 62-62.

It came down to which side took the fourth quarter, and it seemed that victory was likely to go to Promy as Choi Seung-wook scored five points consecutively at the beginning of the quarter.

The Sakers rallied quickly, and Jeong Hee-jae scored a crucial three points at 81-79 to lead the team to victory, 82-81.

With the win over the Promy, the Sakers are sitting in second place with 18 wins so far this season in the KBL. They have been particularly strong in their away games, as they won their seventh away game in a row on Tuesday.

The Changwon side will face the Daegu Kogas Pegasus at Changwon Gymnasium in Changwon, South Gyeongsang on Saturday and will want to carry that away-game winning streak back home, too.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]