Cheongju KB swept past Incheon Shinhan Bank to extend its winning streak to five games and take sole possession of first place in the women’s professional basketball league.
KB defeated Shinhan Bank 77-53 in their home game of the Woori Bank Woori WON 2023-2024 Women’s Professional Basketball League regular season at Cheongju Gymnasium on Tuesday.
KB, which tied for first place (6-1) three days earlier by handing Asan Woori Bank its first loss of the season after opening with a six-game winning streak, continued its momentum with a five-game winning streak to take sole possession of first place (7-1).
Shinhan Bank, on the other hand, remained at the bottom of the standings in sixth place, having not won a game since the start of the season and fallen to a club-record seven-game losing streak.
KB dominated the first quarter with a strong defensive focus and rebounding advantage, outscoring the visitors 29-10.
On offense, Park Ji-soo and Kang Yi-eul scored eight points apiece, while Kim Min-jung added seven points, including a three-pointer just before the end of the first quarter.
With a 37-14 lead with 4:05 left in the second quarter, KB sent in rookie Ko Hyun-ji, the No. 1 overall pick in this season’s draft, to make her professional debut.
Ko is the daughter of Cho Moon-ju, a former national women’s basketball player who played for Kookmin Bank during her playing days.
KB took it easy until the end of the second quarter, when fullback Park Ji-soo came off the bench with 2:46 left in the quarter.
At the end of the half, Ko Hyun-ji scored her professional debut with a three-pointer to make it 48-18, giving KB a 30-point lead.
With 6:02 left in the third quarter, the lead grew to as much as 40 points (64-24), thanks to a three-pointer by Kang Isul.
Kang finished with a game-high 20 points, including five 3-pointers, while Park Ji-soo added 17 points and eight rebounds in just over 16 minutes of action.
Ko Hyun-ji chipped in six points in her debut and added a rebound, a steal, and a blocked shot.
KB outperformed Shinhan Bank (29% shooting, 30 rebounds, 12 assists) in most metrics, including 43% shooting, 43 rebounds, and 21 assists.
Lee Da-yeon was the only other double-digit scorer for Shinhan with 10 points. 토토사이트