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'Bath 40 points' KT defeats LG in best-of-four PO finals
Suwon KT is back in the championship game for the first time in 17 years.
KT defeated Changwon LG 75-65 in the fifth and final game of the 2023-2024 Korean Basketball Association quarterfinals at Changwon Gymnasium on Thursday.
KT, which defeated Ulsan Hyundai Mobis in the best-of-six playoffs to reach the quarterfinals, defeated LG 3-2 in the best-of-seven series to advance to the championship game.
They will face Busan KCC in the finals. KCC defeated Seoul SK and Wonju DB to advance to the championship game. The two teams will face off in Game 1 of the best-of-seven championship series at 2 p.m. on Nov. 27 at Suwon KT Arena.
It's been 17 years since KT reached the championship game since the 2006-07 season. KT has only reached the championship game twice, then and this season. KT has yet to win a championship game.
LG set the tone early in the game. Their strong pressure defense caught KT off guard early on. With 11 steals and five blocks in the first quarter alone, LG set the tone and took a 40-24 lead with just over a minute left in the second quarter.
However, LG lost its focus at the end of the second quarter. Mistakes by Yang Hong-seok, Yang Jun-seok, and Lee Kwan-hee led to back-to-back points in a minute.
In the second half, it was Paris Bass' time. Led by her 16 points, KT tied the game at 49-49 with 3:46 left in the third quarter and took the lead with 1:20 left in the third quarter.
After blowing a 16-point lead, LG lost the momentum. They struggled on offense, missing shot after shot. A fastbreak layup by Heo Hoon with just over five minutes left in the game cut the deficit to eight points, and LG's mood quickly fell apart. Three minutes later, Moon Jung-hyun's three-pointer practically sealed the victory.
Bass was the top contributor to KT's victory with 40 points and 13 rebounds. For LG, Yoo Yoo-sang led the way with 19 points, including 4-of-4 from three-point range, but was overshadowed by the loss.