"Unexpected" Women's Basketball is going to break down! "Kang Yi-seul 3 points, 7 explosions." Colombia 85-52 vanquished... a leading player in the World Cup finals

*This content was translated by AI.

The South Korean women's basketball team, led by head coach Park Soo-ho, defeated Colombia, a difficult opponent, and crossed the 9th ridge to advance to the World Cup finals. In particular, captain Kang Yi-seul became the top contributor to the victory by operating the Sindlin outer gun.

The South Korean women's basketball team defeated Colombia 82-52 in the third round of the final qualifying round for the 2026 FIBA German Women's Basketball World Cup held in Villerrevan Astrovalle, France on the 15th (Korea time). Following the defeat of powerhouse Nigeria, South Korea, which won two consecutive games, won two games and lost one game, occupying a very advantageous position for the finals.

Kang Yi-seul was the hero of the victory. Kang posted 21 points, five rebounds, and three assists, including seven three-point shots. Kang, who showed off a remarkable success rate by throwing 10 three-point shots and making seven hits, displayed six outposts in the first half alone, and completely took the lead in the game.

After the game, Kang Yi-seul said through the Korea Basketball Association, "The players' concentration was high overall because I thought it was the most important game in this tournament," adding, "The team's atmosphere was also high after winning the match against Nigeria. As it was an important game, the players tried to focus on themselves, and as a result, I think it led to a high shot success rate," he said.

In particular, regarding the explosive shooting sense, he said, "I expected the opponent to defend strongly knowing that I was a shooter. So I tried to take my first shot more carefully, and from the beginning of the game, I took a lot of activity and focused on creating shot chances or creating space for my teammates," he said.

Coach Park Soo-ho's tactical order was also clear. Kang Yi-seul said, "The coach emphasized boxout and post defense. This is because the opponent judged that the post resource was high and the high-row play was the main scoring route, he said. "We are at a disadvantage at the height, so he ordered us to be more active in fighting so that the ball does not easily enter the post even in switch situations."

South Korea sealed the match with a 27-4 lead in the third quarter score. Regarding the flow of the third quarter, Kang Yi-seul said, "After the victory against Nigeria, the players' confidence and team atmosphere had risen a lot. We talked about going strong from the beginning of the game, and in fact, all the players were active and had a high energy level in offense and defense. In particular, the good defensive rotation and activism played a big role in bringing about the flow of the game," he said.

With a big win, South Korea is now just one step away from confirming its 17th consecutive World Cup qualification. Regarding his next opponent, the Philippines, Kang Yi-seul said, "The Philippines is a team we met often in the Asian Cup. "I think the most important thing is not to let your guard down," he said. "Since each player has good skills and excellent 3-point shooting ability, we need a defense that does not allow shots easily. It is important to lead the game with our tempo from the beginning like today's game while performing the play we prepared well," he said.

Meanwhile, key players such as Park Ji-soo (11 points and 6 rebounds) and Park Ji-hyun (13 points) played evenly in South Korea. In the fourth quarter, backup members such as Hong Yoo-soon and Lee So-hee scored and finished a pleasant complete victory.

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*This content was translated by AI.