Wonju DB of professional basketball beat Sangmu thanks to Kim Jong-gyu’s last-minute dunk and reported his first victory in the KBL Cup.
DB defeated Sangmu 86-84 in the group C match held at Sangju Gymnasium in Gyeongbuk on the 13th. Last season, he placed ninth in the regular league, but with the addition of a new foreign player, including Leonard Freeman, he won his first tournament and expressed his hopes for the new season’s regular league. On the other hand, after losing to Korea Gas Corporation on the 11th, Sangmu lost the lead he had held until the last minute of the 4th quarter in an instant and was eliminated after losing two consecutive games. In the beginning, the ‘reserve DB man’ Kang Sang-jae’s performance stood out. Kang Sang-jae, who joined the military after playing for the former Korea Gas Corporation (KOGAS) Electronics Land, made a big impression on manager Lee Sang-beom by writing a ‘double-double’ with 11 points and 11 rebounds in the first quarter alone against the DB, which will be his new team.
With Kang Sang-jae’s performance, Sangmu dominated the first quarter with a 24-10 lead. DB was behind in rebounding and had a hard time throwing 10 three-pointers without scoring a single one. DB finished the second quarter 40-48, with 4 minutes left in the third quarter, scoring consecutive goals with Freeman’s under-goal shot and Kim Hoon’s free throw, and turned the tide 57-56, but with 3 minutes and 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter’s manager Park Bong-jin’s three points. They fell again 75-82 and were on the brink of defeat.
However, the DB, which was driven 81-84, balanced with Heo Woong’s 3-point shot 11 seconds before the end, and Kim Jong-gyu succeeded in stealing with less than a second left, and then dunked 0.2 seconds before the end of the game to achieve a thrilling comeback victory. Freeman made a successful debut with 23 points and 13 rebounds, while Heo Woong recorded 20 points and 4 assists, including four 3-pointers. Kim Jong-gyu added 12 points and 12 rebounds, including a goal in the final.
Byung-gyu Choi, staff reporter cbk91065@seoul.co.kr
