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Asan secures 15th WKBL regular season title with 46-44 win over KB Stars

Published: 17 Feb. 2025, 14:58 Updated: 17 Feb. 2025, 17:26

PAIK JI-HWAN
[email protected]

Asan Woori Bank Woori Won small forward Kim Dan-bi, center left, lifts the WKBL regular season trophy with head coach Wie Sung-woo at Cheongju Gymnasium in Cheongu, North Chungcheong on Feb. 16. [NEWS1]

Asan Woori Bank Woori Won clinched their 15th WKBL regular season title on Sunday with a 46-44 win over the KB Stars ahead of the season concluding on Saturday.

Last season the Asan side finished as runners-up in the regular season, but still went on to win the championship in the postseason.

This year’s triumph came despite the departure of several key players, including veteran guards Park Hye-jin and Park Ji-hyun, both instrumental in the previous season's championship win.

However, small forward Kim Dan-bi continued to shine, dominating the court and recording an average of 21.82 points and 11 rebounds per game as of press time Monday.

“I thought this season would be really difficult, but we’ve been really lucky,” said Asan head coach Wie Sung-woo after the game. “This is a result of everyone’s hard work, led by Kim Dan-bi. I want to say thank you.”

Asan Woori Bank Woori Won head coach Wie Sung-woo looks on during the WKBL game against the KB Stars at Cheongju Gymnasium in Cheongu, North Chungcheong on Feb. 16. [YONHAP]

Asan’s offensive efforts, spearheaded by Kim, led the league with an average of 64.1 points per game, outperforming second-place Busan BNK Sum with 62.7.

With their 15th regular season title, Asan further solidified their place as the league’s most successful team, having set the record in 2023. The Incheon Shinhan Bank S-Birds and Yongin Samsung Life Blueminx have the second-most titles, with six each.

Asan will now head into the postseason, where they have won the most championships with 12 after the regular season wraps up on Saturday. The playoffs will begin on March 2, with the top four in the regular season competing.

In the WKBL postseason, the league winners face the fourth-place team in a best-of-five playoff, while the runners-up and third-placed teams will meet. The winners of these two matchups will face off in the best-of-five championship series.

As of Monday, Busan BNK is in second place, Blueminx in third and S-Birds in fourth on the six-team table.

The S-Birds have the second-most championship trophies with eight, but have not won the title since the 2011-12 season. Their best result in the championship since was as runners-up in the 2013-14 season.

The Blueminx, who have finished as runners-up in the championship the most times at 12, last won the title in the 2020-21 season but have not reached the final since.

The S-Birds are set to face the Blueminx in Incheon on Monday, followed by a clash between Bucheon Hana 1Q and Busan Sum on Wednesday.

Asan will play their last regular-season game against Bucheon on Friday, which will serve as a tuneup ahead of the playoffs.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]