BENGALURU (India) - The scoreline may suggest otherwise, but there should be no denying the grit shown by Cheongju KB against Denso to close out the FIBA WBL Asia 2026 Group Phase on Thursday night.
The Stars did fall to an 80-65 loss, but not before giving the Iris a major scare in the payoff period in which they managed to gap to 11 multiple times after seeing themselves staring at a deficit as big as 23 points.
"In the first half we couldn't really show our stuff on the court. But in the second half, we stuck to our fundamentals: aggressive defense and organized offense," offered head coach Kim Wansoo.
Sticking to their fundamentals, as the veteran mentor stated, is part of their plan to prove that they do belong in the continent's premier women's ball club competition, simply by showcasing their identity as a team.
We are competing against these foreign teams here so no matter if we win or lose, we're sure we can show our character.
The kind of identity which shall enable one of the league's first-timers to compete even without their more celebrated stars bannered by lead center Park Jisu, who's out for the Bengaluru meet due to an injury.
Perhaps it could've been different had the veteran internationalist been able to make the trip to this city, although Heo Yeeun and the others surely see it as an opportunity to exercise the 'next-woman-up' mantra.
"I think our team, the KB Stars, has our own color," said the 25-year-old, who won Championship MVP honors in the 2025-26 WKBL season. "And in this kind of international games, we can show our color, for sure."
No doubt that they've been showing as much nicely thus far. Before that comeback that fell short against their W League counterparts, Cheongju dominated the Indian Railways, 81-42, for a rousing WBL Asia debut.
And that win proved crucial as well. Not only did they submit a swashbuckling start to their maiden stint, but the Stars also assured themselves a slot in the Semi-Finals as they booted the home team out of contention.
Now, they're coming into the Semi-Finals on Saturday as the No. 2 team from Group B after splitting their 2 games in pool play, and will be facing the best squad from Group A in Sichuan Yuanda Meile of the WCBA.
It would be no less than the inaugural champions that they're facing but as daunting as it may seem, one shouldn't expect the Stars to change the way they play, for they're keen to put their no-quit mentality on display again.
"We are competing against these foreign teams here so no matter if we win or lose, we're sure we can show our character. And also, to improve our team," offered Heo, herself a key member of the Korean women's team.
Plus, they're doing it not just for themselves.
"Through these games we are giving opportunities to players to improve a lot. And als,o there are fans cheering for us from Cheongju, for sure they are proud of us to have a team here in the WBL Asia," Coach Kim said.
FIBA