SJ Belangel had a solid showing but can't help Daegu KOGAS Pegasus from suffering an 81-72 loss to Jeonju KCC Egis in its opening assignment in the 2022-23 KBL season on Sunday at Daegu Gymnasium.
The Gilas Pilipinas guard unloaded 10 points on 2-of-4 shooting from deep, to go with two rebounds and two assists in 26 minutes as a starter, but his efforts couldn't stop Jeonju from jumping to a 22-8 start.
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Lee Dae-sung led Daegu with 25 points, four steals, and three rebounds, as Senegalese center Youssou Ndoye fired 13 points and six boards in the loss.
Jeonju relied on Heo Ung's 19 points built on three treys and a solid 18-point, 12-rebound showing from Ra Gun-A (Ricardo Ratliffe).
Justin Gutang, meanwhile, was benched in Changwon LG Sakers' 65-62 loss to Seoul Samsung Thunders at Changwon Gymnasium.
Egyptian center Assem Marei led Changwon with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and four steals in the defeat.
Emanuel Terry and Jang Min-guk paced Seoul with 19 points apiece in the season opener.
Rhenz Abando once again sat out Anyang KGC's 73-62 win over Goyang Carrot Jumpers at Anyang Gymnasium.
Omari Spellman led Anyang with 19 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two blocks as the home team climbed up to 2-0.