Goyang Sono’s third-year guard Lee Jung-hyun wrapped up a spectacular season with a record-breaking performance. “It’s like I burned five extra minutes of service time in overtime,” he laughed after scoring 39 points in the final game to give the home fans a victory.
Lee played in the final game of the 2023-24 regular season against Suwon KT at the Goyang Sono Arena on Nov. 31 and didn’t rest for a single minute until the first overtime.
He finished with 39 points, including seven 3-pointers, nine assists, seven steals, and one block in 45 minutes of action, leading his team to a 95-51 victory.
It was a game that literally started with Lee and ended with Lee.
Lee scored 16 points in the first quarter to give KT a big lead. With KT scoring 17 points as a team in the first quarter, Lee was the only one who kept them in the game. At halftime, Lee had 23 points, four assists, and four steals. Thanks to Lee’s performance, SONO built a comfortable double-digit lead.
However, the game started to go off track in the second half. KT went on a run thanks to fast breaks from foreign players Michael Eric and Jung Sung-woo. SONO also started to self-destruct with consecutive turnovers, and in the fourth quarter, Eric’s basket erased SONO’s 19-point lead. Lee Jung-hyun tried to score the final buzzer-beater, but his mid-range shot missed the rim.
The overtime battle was eventually won by Lee Jung-hyun. He spearheaded the offense, dishing out four assists. Chinanu Onuaku, who had been somewhat quiet, scored nine points in the overtime period to seal a narrow four-point victory.
For the season, Lee finished the regular season averaging 22.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 2.0 steals in 36.43 minutes in 44 games. He shot 46.4 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from three-point range, improving his numbers in virtually every category.
Speaking to the media after the game, Lee said, “We unintentionally forced overtime. We burned the last five minutes in service time so that the home fans wouldn’t be disappointed,” he joked. “It was the last game of the season, so I really wanted to win, and I was worried about my performance because I was so well-rested, but I’m glad we won,” he laughed.
Lee Jung-hyun, meanwhile, took home a trio of record awards for his efforts. He took over the assist title from Wonju DB Lee Sun Albano with 6.61 assists per game. He also leads the team in steals (2.0) and three-pointers made (2.9). “Actually, last week I thought, ‘I hope I get one,’ but my brothers told 메이저토토사이트 me that I was first in assists, so I knew,” Lee said. “I’ve been playing a lot of minutes and taking on a lot of roles, and the good numbers have come with that. I’m grateful to have so many roles, but I also feel bad for the other players. I think it was a season where I learned and grew a lot,” he reflected.
When asked to elaborate, Lee said, “Compared to last year, I grew in all areas. After last season, I wanted to improve my pick-and-roll and shooting percentage by at least 2-3%, and I didn’t want to hide in the game. I think we made some progress. We’ll see what we need to work on next season,” he concluded.
Finally, when asked about his off-season goals, Lee said, “It was my last game, so it was emotional. My legs couldn’t move in the second half,” he laughed, before adding, “I want to give my body enough rest and healing. It was a very hard season. Next year, I want to play basketball at a higher level and not just end in March.”