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Pro basketball SK loses to Nippon Chiba to finish as EASL runners-up for second straight year

Professional basketball team Seoul SK settled for a second consecutive runner-up finish in the East Asian Super League (EASL).

SK, led by head coach Jeon Hee-cheol, lost a late-game battle against Chiba Jets (Japan) in the EASL Finals of the 2023-2024 season on Tuesday at the G-SDome in Cebu, Philippines, falling 69-72, three points short.

After settling for runner-up honors to Anyang KGC Ginseng Corporation in last year's inaugural tournament, SK fell short of the title for the second straight year.

Still, they received $500,000 (approximately 660 million won) for second place. Ziva, who won his first title, took home $1 million.

Jamil Warney scored 22 points (17 rebounds) in 40 full minutes, but struggled against Ziva's intense defense. He shot just 36% from the field.

Ahn Young-joon (18 points) 스포츠토토 and Leon Williams (15 points) also played well but couldn't get over the hump down the stretch. The absence of veteran guard Kim Sun-hyung left a lot to be desired.

For Chiba, Japanese international guard Yuki Togashi was the centerpiece of the victory with 22 points (7 assists), including four three-pointers. He was strong in the fourth quarter shootout.

The tournament allows two foreign players to compete at the same time.

Japan actually had three foreign players on the floor at the same time, including Xavier Cooks (6 points, 7 rebounds), John Mooney (16 points, 16 rebounds), and naturalized player Ira Brown (12 points, 5 rebounds), giving them an edge in strength and height.

Earlier in the third-place game, defending champion Anyang Chungkwanjang edged New Taipei Kings (Taiwan) 78-76, by two points.

Although they failed to repeat as champions for the second year in a row, they earned $250,000 (approximately KRW 330 million) for their third-place finish.

Guard Park Ji-hoon led the way with 29 points and eight rebounds, including three 3-pointers. Robert Carter Jr. also contributed 18 points (15 rebounds).

The EASL is an East Asian Basketball Club Competition, and the prize money for the regular season (100 million won) and championship (100 million won) is quite high compared to the Korean professional league, the KBL.

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