In the women’s professional basketball (WKBL) competition for second place, Yongin Samsung Life Insurance took a step forward.
Samsung Life Insurance won 86-73 in the 2022-23 regular season round 5 home game against Incheon Shinhan Bank at Yongin Indoor Gymnasium on the 12th. After 5 consecutive losses and 4 consecutive wins, Samsung Life recorded 15 wins and 10 losses, becoming the sole second place. Samsung Life Insurance confirmed the playoffs regardless of the remaining results in the regular season. Also, they continued their dominance against Shinhan Bank with 4 wins and 1 loss. Shinhan Bank (14 wins, 11 losses) fell one notch to third place.
Samsung Life Insurance lost both of its main guards (Kiana Smith and Lee Ju-yeon) due to unexpected injuries during the season. However, he is participating in the fight for second place with fast-breaking basketball. In the match on the 12th, Shin Dew Seul and Jo Soo Ah filled the vacancy of the injured by rotation. Jo Soo-ah, who has a good outer shell, scored 13 points. Young and fast forwards Lee Hae-ran (9 points) and Kang Yu-rim (8 points) contributed to the offense. Lee Myung-gwan (14 points) also performed well.
Veteran center Bae Hye-yoon (34, 1m82cm) centered the team’s offense and defense. As the eldest sister in the team, she made a big success with 26 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists in 24 minutes and 59 seconds. It was stable enough to record a field goal success rate of 83.3% (10 successes / 12 attempts) and a free throw success rate of 85.7% (6 successes / 7 attempts). Bae Hye-yoon, who was very active on both offense and defense, scored 20 points in the first half alone and took a break in the 4th quarter.
Bae Hye-yoon shook Shinhan Bank’s goal with her skillful play. Her wide field of vision to grasp all over her court was outstanding. At the end of the 1st quarter, Bae Hye-yoon pushed forward by post-up against big man Kim Sonia (30), passed to Lee Myeong-gwan who was on the outside and helped him with a 3-point shot. Even at the beginning of the second quarter, she stirred up the Shinhan Bank court, then connected to Jo Soo-ah and assisted his three-point shot. He often drew opponent fouls from under the goal. 안전놀이터
Bae Hye-yoon won the match against Sonia Kim by decision. Sonia Kim, who ranked first in the individual scoring category, recorded 19 points and 7 rebounds in 33 minutes and 4 seconds in this game. Sonia Kim, who recorded more than 20 points and 10 rebounds in the last 4 consecutive games, was tied with 9 points in the first half of the day. When Bae Hye-yoon showed an opponent’s advantage in the match-up, Sonia Kim seemed not confident in her attack.
In this game, Bae Hye-yoon also succeeded in adjusting her condition. Bae Hye-yoon, who played a big role in the first half, played only until the beginning of the third quarter, then stepped back to the bench and started managing her physical strength. Samsung Life coach Lim Geun-bae said before the game, “I will definitely adjust Bae Hye-yoon’s playing time today.” This is because Bae Hye-yoon, who is not in normal condition due to a knee cartilage injury, played 39 minutes and 48 seconds in the home game (78-73 win) against Busan BNK on the 8th.