KBL: Abando, Anyang KGC dethrone Seoul SK

ABS-CBN News

Posted at May 08 2023 12:59 PM | Updated as of May 08 2023 03:09 PM

Rhenz Abando finished his rookie season in the Korean Basketball League (KBL) as a champion.

This, after Anyang KGC escaped with a 100-97 overtime victory over defending champion Seoul SK, Sunday night at the Anyang Indoor Gymnasium.

The former NCAA Most Valuable Player went scoreless in nearly 28 minutes of action, missing all seven of his field goals. He did have three rebounds, an assist, and a steal.

It was Omari Spellman who carried the fight for Anyang, with 34 points and 14 rebounds, while Oh Se-keun tallied a 20-point, 13-rebound double-double in the title-clinching triumph. 

Seoul rallied from an 11-point deficit to force overtime, where Anyang out-scored them, 9-6, to grab the win. 

It was sweet revenge for Anyang, who lost in five games to Seoul in last season's finals. Sun-Hyung Kim had 37 points for Seoul in the loss.

Abando, who previously played for University of Santo Tomas before transferring to Colegio de San Juan de Letran, also won the KBL's Slam Dunk Contest in January.