▲ Lee Jeong-hyeon
Busan KCC has climbed out of the bottom of the league standings after handing Goyang Sono their fourth consecutive defeat in a fiercely contested match.
KCC defeated Sono 105-102 in a close 3-point victory during their 2026-2027 KCC professional basketball regular season home game held at the Busan Sajik Gymnasium today (November 3).
With their fourth straight loss, Sono dropped to a record of 4 wins and 8 losses.
On the other hand, KCC, which bounced back from a seven-game losing streak by defeating Wonju DB in their previous match, secured their second consecutive win to tie Sono at 4 wins and 8 losses, moving out of last place to tie for eighth.
Sono, playing without key foreign player Johnny O'Bryant due to a back injury, struggled to overcome their height disadvantage early on and finished the first quarter trailing 24-26.
In the second quarter, KCC's fluid and unselfish passing game shone, widening the gap significantly.
With KCC's Lee Ho-hyun dishing out 5 assists while Louis King and Shawn Long chipped in 10 points each, KCC comfortably led 60-44, a 16-point difference, at halftime.
Sono, which had dragged through the first half lethargically, mounted a fierce chase in the third quarter, spearheaded by their ace Lee Jeong-hyeon.
Lee Jeong-hyeon poured in 13 points by sinking four 3-pointers in the third quarter alone, while Lim Dong-seop provided support with two perimeter shots.
However, KCC fought back as Yoon Ki-chan matched them with two 3-pointers and King guarded the paint, allowing KCC to enter the fourth quarter with an 88-76 lead of 12 points.
Entering the final quarter—the clutch period following the second and third quarters where two foreign players play simultaneously—Sono relentlessly pursued KCC, driven by Lee Jeong-hyeon's hot shooting hand.
About four minutes into the fourth quarter, Lee Jeong-hyeon didn't hesitate to drain his seventh 3-pointer to narrow the gap to 89-93 (4 points), and at the 5-minute mark, Lee Jae-do intercepted a turnover and connected it to a score by Kevin Kempbaur, pulling Sono within striking distance at 93-95.
With 3 minutes and 7 seconds left in the game, KCC faced a setback when Long fouled out with his fifth foul.
However, Sono failed to capitalize on the ensuing crucial scoring opportunity, and KCC weathered the storm to pull ahead 103-96 with about two minutes remaining.
Facing a looming defeat, Sono clawed back to within 1 point at 102-103 thanks to an outside shot by Kempbaur and an and-one play where James scored in the paint and converted the additional free throw with 34.3 seconds left on the clock.
After KCC reclaimed a 3-point lead at 105-102 with two free throws by Lee Ho-hyun 25.8 seconds before the end, Sono called their final timeout for a last-ditch counterattack to force overtime.
However, James' 3-point attempt over Heo Hoon missed the rim, followed by Kempbaur's perimeter shot from the side missing the mark as well, bringing Sono's resilient chase to an end.
For KCC, King anchored the paint with 30 points and 5 rebounds, Long added 24 points and 9 rebounds, and Heo Hoon orchestrated the offense with 20 points and 6 assists to lead the team to victory.
For Sono, Lee Jeong-hyeon put up a fierce fight by sinking 7 out of 10 three-point attempts for 28 points while dishing out 12 assists.
(Photo provided by KBL, Yonhap News)
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