KB Stars defeated Samsung Life Insurance with injury fighting spirit Kang Yi-seul and confirmed its advance to the PO as fourth place
Feb 20, 2025
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KB won 60-56 with Kang Yi-seul, who scored as many as 29 points, at the Samsung Life Insurance match held at Yongin Indoor Gymnasium on the 20th, and finished a long ranking battle with Shinhan Bank and ranked fourth for the second consecutive year following last year.
KB, the winner of last year's regular league, had to fight hard this season as Park Ji-soo, the team's pillar, advanced to overseas leagues in a surprise move, and although there were harsh predictions that it would end up at the bottom, it won the ticket for "Spring Basketball". Along with the rising confidence of existing players that they can do it without Park Ji-soo, they also made their own achievements, including the discovery of Song Yoon-ha, a first-year rookie who filled Park Ji-soo's vacancy.
On the other hand, Shinhan Bank, which competed in good faith with KB until the end, could have reached the PO if KB won the final showdown of the season against BNK on the 22nd, but it did not even take the opportunity to do so and promised next season. KB and Shinhan Bank won three games and lost three games this season, but it is thanks to KB leading by just one point in the total margin of six games.
The focus of the match between the two teams on the day was inevitably different. For KB, it was a must-win game, but for Samsung Life Insurance, which has already been confirmed in third place with BNK's victory the previous day, the goal was to play its last home game in the regular league without injury. I couldn't even relax too much because KB and Shinhan Bank's fight for fourth place was not over.
However, Samsung Life Insurance conducted a rotation to use various players while controlling the playing time, which clearly affected its performance. In addition to this, KB players' strong will and concentration have been added, driving them to the PO on their own.
With the score tied 10-10 after the start of the first quarter, KB began to lead 19-10 with Song Yoon-ha's two free throws, Lee Yun-mi's five points and Nagata Moe's two points combined for nine points in the final minute of the quarter. In the middle of the first quarter, Samsung Life called in Bae Hye-yoon, the core of the offense and defense, and used six-men such as Kim Dan-bi and Yoo Ha-eun, but as the score widened, the main players were put in again in the second quarter and scored eight points to catch up. Then, about 20 seconds into the game, Kang Yi-seul, who suffered a nasal bone injury, properly displayed his fighting spirit 'Ace Instinct'. Kang Yi-seul, who stepped down from the court after hitting the hand of Samsung Life Insurance's Jo Su-ah, who was coming down after a layup shot, took a taping and was put back in from the middle of the first quarter, and in the second quarter, he scored 15 points on three 3-pointers, breaking through the basket, and free throws, leading the lead to 34-23.
However, not only Samsung Life Insurance's main players but also the Sixmen's depth was thick. The confidence of the players, who beat KB in all five previous showdowns this season, was also extraordinary.
Along with Lee Hae-ran and Bae Hye-yoon, who were put back in after the start of the third quarter, Jo Su-ah and Kang Yoo-rim, and bench member Choi Ye-seul evenly participated in scoring, reversing the score to 47-45. KB's teammates' shots were all missed in the third quarter while Kang Yi-seul scored seven points alone. On top of that, Song Yoon-ha stepped back to the bench with four fouls about three minutes into the third quarter, further lacking offensive options.
In the last four quarters, Samsung Life Insurance, which continued to use bench members such as Lim Kyu-ri and Choi Ye-seul, re-injected key players such as Bae Hye-yoon and Jo Su-ah at 52-51 to express its desire to win. In this situation, Kang Yi-seul made two free throws and KB succeeded again, followed by Song Yoon-ha's under-the-goal shot, Nagata's under-the-goal breakthrough with 43 seconds left in the game, and two free throws passed through the rim to complete a dramatic re-reversal drama.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
