KB Stars advanced to the semifinals of the Park Shin-ja Cup with Kang Yi-seul, who scored a come-from-behind 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds left

Sep 04, 2025

KB Stars advanced to the semifinals of the Park Shin-ja Cup with Kang Yi-seul, who scored a come-from-behind 3-pointer with 2.7 seconds left





KB Stars advanced to the semifinals with a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Japan's Denso Iris.

KB won 83 to 82 against Denso in the Group B preliminary round of the '2025 BNK Financial Park Shin-ja Cup' held at Sajik Gymnasium in Busan on the 4th. As a result, KB, which finished the preliminary round with 3 wins and 1 loss, tied Denso, but ranked first in the group according to the winner's winning principle, becoming the first Korean team to advance to the semifinals.




After Fujitsu last season, Denso, the second-ranked team in the regular league in the Japanese W-League and the runner-up in the playoff final, was also strong. This is why KB, who was unable to participate in the tournament due to Park Ji-soo's injury, had a hard fight until the end of the game.

KB trailed 67-77 with about four minutes left in the game, 10 points apart, showing a strong sense of defeat but a scary background. Yang Ji-soo hit a three-point game, followed by Kang Yi-seul and Heo Ye-eun, who alternately made three-point and under-the-goal shots, even tying the game 80-80 with 44 seconds left before the end.

Here, Takada of Denso allowed two free throws, which turned the tables again. However, ace Kang Yi-seul, who scored 38 points, including seven three-pointers, in the game alone, was extraordinary. Kang Yi-seul boldly hit a three-run shot with 2.7 seconds left before the end, and the ball was sucked into the rim, creating an incredible reversal.




If they lost the match, KB would have only been able to finish second according to the winner's win in the match between Hana Bank and Hungary's DVTK on the 5th, but they were able to reach the semifinals on their own. Before entering the game, Kang Yi-seul pledged that he would play with a unique mindset because he had to win regardless of the results of other teams to reach the semifinals.

KB Stars coach Kim Wan-soo said, `Everyone took one more step and got good results. It's not easy to play in the semifinals, but I'll have a fun game"" Kang Yi-seul was confident in the last three points. I'm so happy to reach the semifinals on my own and No. 1 ranking."





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.