SK, who missed the victory, confirmed the PO for the round of 6 to the next game... Hong Kong lost in a close game of extra time

*This content was translated by AI.

Seoul SK was caught in an away match in Hong Kong, delaying its confirmation of advancing to the East Asian Super League (EASL) semifinals to the next round.

SK lost 83-96 in an away match against Hong Kong Eastern in the fifth Group A match of the 2025-2026 EASL at Southern Stadium in Hong Kong on the 7th (Korea Standard Time).

If SK won on the day, it could have won the ticket to the semifinals early regardless of the results of the remaining games with 4 wins and 1 loss. SK, which recorded three wins and two losses, maintained its No. 1 position in the group. Hong Kong Eastern has been chasing third place with two wins and two losses.

Fubon Braves (Taiwan) of the same group has two wins and two losses, while Utsunomiya Brex (Japan) has one win and two losses. SK will confirm its advance to the semifinals on its own only if it wins the final 6th game of the group stage against the Fubon Braves at Jamsil Student Gymnasium on the 28th.

SK's foreign player duo fought hard, but the team's defeat faded. Jamil Warney led the attack with 29 points, and Darryl Monroe also did her part by making a double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds.

Eddie Daniel, who recorded the youngest EASL debut record (18 years, 8 months and 14 days) in a match against Utsunomiya in December, played 12:53 against Hong Kong Eastern and posted three rebounds, two assists and one steal. Daniel won the Star Award in Basketball at the 2024 Futures Star Awards hosted by Star News last year, and received the Grand Prize in Basketball at the 2025 Futures Star Awards this year.

The early days of the game were tight. Hong Kong Eastern gained momentum in the first quarter, but SK fought back in the second quarter and finished the first half 44-40. The close game continued in the second half. SK, which scored 10 points in the third quarter alone, once widened the gap.

Hong Kong Eastern's pursuit with the unilateral support of home fans was also not easy. SK, which led 59-58 in the third quarter, briefly allowed the paint zone defense to turn around in the fourth quarter, but it seemed to regain the lead with Alvin Tolentino's outer shot to win the game.

The lack of hindsight at the end of the game was a drag. SK, which had been keeping the lead, allowed an 81-81 tie after being hit by a tying 3-pointer by its opponent with 1.2 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and the game went to extra time.

SK collapsed sharply in overtime. Ahn Young-joon's absence from the game overlapped with the physical deterioration of the main players, scoring only two points in overtime. On the other hand, he allowed 15 points by giving up all the inside and outside to Hong Kong Eastern, which gained momentum, and eventually ended the game with a 13-point complete defeat.

This season's EASL has expanded its participation from 10 teams to 12 teams. Four teams will be divided into three groups and play the group stage in a home-and-away manner, and a total of six teams, including the top 1st and 2nd place in each group, will advance to the "Finals" to determine the winning team with a tournament. SK, which qualified to participate by advancing to the KCC professional basketball championship game last season, won three consecutive games after losing the first game, but was held back by Hong Kong Eastern, which was at the bottom, and continued to compete fiercely until the final game.

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*This content was translated by AI.