The Yongin Samsung Life earned their second win of the season after defeating Incheon Shinhan Bank in a thrilling game that went into overtime. Lee Hae-ran, who never lost her focus at key moments, had her best single-game scoring performance since her professional debut, while Lee Ju-yeon and Shin Se-ul contributed evenly. Shinhan Bank was highlighted by Kim Sonia, who scored over 40 points on her own.
Samsung Life defeated Shinhan Bank 89-84 in the first overtime of the Woori Bank Woori WON 2023-24 Women’s Professional Basketball League at Dowon Gymnasium in Incheon on Wednesday.
With the win, Samsung Life earned its second victory of the season (1 loss) and moved into a tie for third place with Busan BNK Thumb. They are a half-game behind leaders Cheongju KB Stars and Asan Woori Bank, who have played one game less. Shinhan Bank, on the other hand, dropped its opening three-game losing streak and slipped into a tie for last place with Bucheon Hana OneQ.
The two teams battled back and forth until the end of the game, with the score tied at one point with just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter. Samsung Life seemed to have the game won with a three-point lead in the final minute, but Shinhan Bank hit a dramatic tying three-pointer from Kim Sonia to send the game into overtime. In a tightly contested game, Samsung Life was narrowly ahead in overtime.
Samsung Life’s Lee Hae-ran scored a career-high 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds, matching her 22-point performance against Woori Bank last season. Lee Ju-yeon contributed 17 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists, while Bae Hye-yoon, who returned from injury, chipped in with 17 points, five rebounds, and six assists. Shin Isul also had 13 points, including three three-pointers, and seven rebounds and eight assists.
Shinhan Bank was led by Kim Sonia’s 42 points and 16 rebounds, but lost the battle of concentration down the stretch. Lee Kyung-eun had 16 points and seven rebounds and Lee Da-yeon had 13 points and four rebounds.
On this day, Shinhan Bank played with the bad news of Kim Tae-yeon’s injury. Coach Gunadan said, “Kim Tae-yeon is unable to play due to a back injury. We will add Jang Eun-hye to our nine-player rotation. For the players, it’s best to learn by winning. I hope we can play a good game today and win the game and the players can learn a lot. I really want to win,” he said.
Samsung Life, on the other hand, welcomed back Bae Hye-yoon, who had been out of the lineup due to a knee injury. Coach Lim Geun-bae said, “Even if she doesn’t start yet, I’m thinking about playing around 20 minutes. It would be best to finish the game without playing, but we don’t know how the game will turn out. Shinhan Bank only needs three to four seconds to get into transition after defense. They are a team that goes for rebounds with all five players. We have to play today with our heads up.”
Shinhan Bank took control of the first quarter, as both teams struggled with their shooting in the early going. After two free throws by Kim Sonia helped Shinhan Bank cut the deficit to 4-5, neither team scored for more than three minutes. Shinhan Bank missed all five of its scoring opportunities, while Samsung Life also failed to capitalize on seven scoring chances, including five three-pointers. The long silence was broken only after Lee Hae-ran converted a layup with 4:03 left in the first quarter.
After that, the sparks started flying. Kim Sonia pumped her fist in the air after hitting a clean three-pointer from the front with her team trailing 6-7. After Samsung Life tied the game with a three-pointer from Shin, Jilsera’s Lee Kyung-eun responded with another three-pointer of her own. As Shinhan Bank began to close the gap to four points, Kim Dan-bi sparked a comeback with an outside shot with eight seconds left in the period. The first quarter ended with Shinhan Bank leading 16-15. Shinhan Bank was led by Kim Sonia with 9 points and 6 rebounds in the first quarter, while Lee Kyung-eun chipped in with 7 points. Samsung Life shot 13 three-pointers in the first quarter, but only made two of them.
Samsung Sinsung seemed to change the momentum early in the second quarter. Lee Ju-yeon hit a three-pointer and then converted the extra free throw after being fouled by Kim Ji-young to make it a 19-16 game. Shinhan Bank answered right back with a three-pointer from Kim Sonia to even the score. After four free throws from Bae Hye-yoon, who made her comeback from injury, widened the gap, Shinhan Bank responded with consecutive baskets from Kim Jin-young and Kim Sonia. Kim Sonia’s answer to Bae Hae-ran’s two free throws was an exquisite driving layup.
With the score tied at 29-29 with just over two minutes to go, Shinhan Bank quickly pulled away. After two free throws from Kim Sonia tied the game, Kim Jin-young added to the lead with a steal followed by a fast break layup. After a steal by Kim Sonia, Kim made both free throws. Samsung Life, which was shaken by back-to-back turnovers, missed the rim until Lee Ju-yeon’s layup, while Shinhan Bank increased the gap to 36-29 with one free throw from Kim Jin-young. Samsung Life got a close score from Kang Yoo-rim with 30 seconds left in the second quarter. The half ended with Shinhan Bank leading 36-31.
In the third quarter, Samsung Life fought back. Bae Hye-yoon and Lee Ju-yeon scored back-to-back baskets to spark the comeback. Even Shin’s outside shooting started to come alive. With the score at 38-42 with 6:20 left in the third quarter, Shin nailed a clean three-pointer to spark the comeback, and then followed it up with a three-pointer to tie the game after Shinhan Bank pulled within four points. Underran also chipped in. His three-pointer from the side went in, giving Samsung Life a 49-46 lead with 4:41 left. Samsung Life shot 17 three-pointers in the first half, making just three, but the team turned the tide in the third quarter.
Shinhan Bank didn’t go down easily either. A turnover by Kim Sonia widened the gap to five points, but Lee Da-yeon hit a three-pointer to start the comeback. Lee showed her presence by grabbing the rebound on the ensuing defense and getting to the line for free throws, making one, and then grabbing the offensive rebound herself when the second shot failed. The rebound led to another three-pointer by Lee Kyung-eun. This time, Samsung Sinsung responded. Lee Hae-ran tied the game with an offensive rebound, followed by a layup, and then made three free throws. Shinhan Bank responded with a basket by Lee Hye-mi and a free throw by Kim Sonia, before Shin Yul scored a layup to tie the game again. The third quarter ended with a 58-56 lead for Samsung Sinsung.
The final quarter of the game saw both teams battling back and forth throughout. Shinhan Bank tied the game with a two-pointer from Lee Kyung-eun, but was unable to build on the lead as Lee (three), Kim Sonia, and Goo Seul’s three-pointers went unanswered. The same was true for Samsung Life. Their first points of the fourth quarter didn’t come until two minutes and five seconds had passed. Bae Hye-yoon added another basket with 6:30 left in the period. Samsung Life took a 62-58 lead.
Shinhan Bank was tied at 58 points for nearly four minutes before Kim Sonia broke the tie and Lee Da-yeon sparked a comeback with an outside shot. Samsung Sinsung responded with a basket by Lee Hae-ran, but Kim Sonia answered back with a mid-range shot, and the two teams traded baskets. With just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Samsung Sinsung held a slim one-point lead.
In the final battle of concentration, it was Samsung Sinsung that started to close the gap first. Samsung Life took the lead with a basket by Lee Hae-ran, and after Lee Kyung-eun’s three-point shot fell short, Lee Hae-ran widened the gap. Gilsera Shinhan Bank responded with back-to-back baskets from Kim Sonia to pull within 71-72 with 1:16 left.
Shinhan Bank then had a chance for a dramatic comeback when Lee Da-yeon intercepted Shin’s pass, but Kim Jin-young’s three-pointer missed the rim. With the game on the line, Samsung Life made both free throws after Bae Hye-yoon was fouled on the other end. Samsung Life’s three-point lead with 22.1 seconds left in the game. Shinhan Bank’s three-pointer from Kim Sonia on their final possession hit the backboard with seven seconds left, sending the game into overtime. 토토사이트
The heartbreaking loss was enough to derail Samsung Life’s momentum, but the team quickly regained its focus. After Shin Isul missed a three-pointer, Bae Hye-yoon grabbed an offensive rebound and Lee Hae-ran scored to tie the game. After her opponent’s three-pointer was blocked, Lee Hae-ran hit a reverse three-pointer to give her team a 79-74 lead.
Shinhan Bank continued to chip away at the deficit, with Kim Sonia and Kang Gye-ri leading the way. However, Lee Kyung-eun’s turnaround three-pointer fell short and Bae Hye-yoon converted a layup to give Samsung Life a seven-point lead with 54 seconds left in the game. Shinhan Bank made a last-ditch effort to fight back, but ran out of time.