Wonju DB has won the KBL Cup for the first time ahead of the new season.
DB defeated Suwon KT 77-67 in the finals of the 2024 DB Insurance KBL Cup at Jecheon Gymnasium in Chungcheongbuk-do, South Chungcheong Province, on Wednesday to claim the title.
DB, which won the KBL Cup for the first time since its inception in 2020, took home 50 million won in 토토사이트 prize money.
DB, which topped the regular season last season but was swept by Busan KCC in the best-of-four playoffs (PO) to reach the championship game, showed a solid performance in the Cup, raising expectations for the 2024-2025 season, which begins on Jan. 19.
In the tournament, DB competed with Seoul SK in Group D, winning one game and losing one, finishing first in the group on goal difference and reaching the quarterfinals, where they defeated Ulsan Hyundai Mobis in the semifinals the day before, and then KT.
Last season’s championship final runners-up KT were looking to regain the top spot in the cup for the first time in two years, but were unable to get past the final match. The runner-up prize is 30 million won.
The Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament went to DB’s Chinanu Onuaku. Onuaku, who finished with 24 points, 17 rebounds, and five assists, received 34 of the 65 votes cast by the journalists, the most of any player, to take home the 3 million won prize.
DB, which jumped out to an 8-0 lead early in the game behind a three-pointer by last season’s regular season MVP Lee Sun Albano, extended its lead to 20-8 with 3:09 left in the first quarter on a three-pointer and bank shot by Lee Kwan-hee at 15-8.
Down 16-26 after one quarter, KT started the second quarter with two consecutive three-pointers from Moon Jung-hyun and tightened its defense to tie the game at 30-30 with 5:18 left in the second quarter.
DB then scored the next 11 points, including a three-pointer by Kim Hoon, to pull away again, but KT answered with seven straight points to end the half with a 41-37 advantage in favor of DB.
KT started the second half with a Jeremiah Tillman two-pointer to pull within one, but once again, they couldn’t get over the hump.
DB got a breather when Onuaku hit back-to-back three-pointers to make it 46-39 with 7:06 left in the third quarter and 50-41 with 5:36 to go, and they led 60-48 at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, which saw DB pull away as KT kept pace, DB virtually sealed the deal with a three-pointer by Lee Kwan-hee with 2:02 left to make it 75-62.
Besides Onuaku, Lee Kwan-hee (19 points, including five 3-pointers), Albano (14 points, 10 assists), and Kim Jong-kyu (13 points, 10 rebounds) shared DB’s victory.
For KT, Moon Jung-hyun had 20 points and five rebounds and Ha Yoon-ki had 12 points and seven rebounds, while KT’s ace Heo Hoon was limited to five points and seven assists in 25:38 of action.