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Busan KCC Egis fall to Ryukyu Golden Kings 91-82 in EASL

Published: 05 Dec. 2024, 12:54 Updated: 05 Dec. 2024, 16:58

PAIK JI-HWAN
[email protected]

Busan KCC Egis power forward Deonte Burton, right, in action during an East Asia Super League game against the Ryukyu Golden Kings at Okinawa Arena in Japan on Wednesday. [EASL]

Busan KCC Egis lost 91-82 to the Ryukyu Golden Kings in the East Asia Super League (EASL) at the Okinawa Arena in Japan on Wednesday, suffering their third straight loss in the tournament.

Egis saw a solid start to the game, ending the first quarter 27-25, but that was the only quarter that they ended with a lead.

The Golden Kings snatched the lead midway through the second quarter and ended it at 45-38, taking the score to 71-63 by the end of the third quarter and sealing a 91-82 victory.

Egis’s Deonte Burton was still the top scorer of the game with 38 points, followed by the Golden Kings’ Jack Cooley’s 29.

Egis stayed at the bottom of Group B with their third consecutive loss, which makes them one of the only two teams without a win in the group alongside the New Taipei Kings as of Wednesday. The Golden Kings sit at the top with three wins from their opening three games.

This is the first time Egis are competing in the EASL, where KBL teams have showcased strong performances since the tournament's inception in 2023.

Anyang KGC, now the Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters, were the inaugural champions and finished third the following season, with the Seoul SK Knights as runners-up. Neither of them are competing this year, with Suwon KT Sonicboom participating alongside Egis instead.

Egis will next face the Meralco Bolts on Dec. 18, with the group stage lasting through February next year.

Top two teams from Group A and B will reach the semifinals, which start next March.

Until Egis’s next EASL game, they will have KBL action to catch in a game against the Seoul Samsung Thunders on Saturday.

Egis have seen an up-and-down start to the 2024-25 KBL season, with six wins and six losses from their opening 12 games so far to six in fifth-place on the 10-team table.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]