Who called Samsung Life Insurance the bottom candidate... They beat BNK even with their ace struggling, reaching sole first place on a three-game winning streak

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Yongin Samsung Life Insurance, which had been tipped as the bottom candidate, overcame even their ace Lee Hae-ram's scoring slump to rise to sole first place.

Samsung Life Insurance, led by head coach Ha Sang-yoon, defeated Busan BNK 69-63 in a home game at Yongin Indoor Gymnasium on the 15th in the KB Star Banking 2026~2027 Women's Professional Basketball League.

Samsung Life Insurance, riding a three-game winning streak, recorded a 4-1 record to leapfrog Incheon Shinhan Bank and Asan Woori Bank (both 3-1) to take sole first place. With all five games of the first round completed, they have also secured at least a tie for first place.

This is a completely different start from pre-season expectations. Samsung Life Insurance reached last season's championship final and finished as runner-up, but concerns about weakened strength were high ahead of the new season. Veteran Bae Hye-yoon and Kim Dan-bi retired, and Yoon Ye-bin also left for Cheongju KB with free agent (FA) status.

They received a cold evaluation even in the top-four advancement prediction survey conducted by the Women's Korean Basketball League (WKBL) before the opening. Samsung Life Insurance received the least support among the six teams from fans, players, and media alike.

At the time, head coach Ha Sang-yoon confessed, "It didn't feel very good to be evaluated as the bottom team," while also vowing, "I will prove that the prediction was wrong." Samsung Life Insurance has been putting those words into practice on the court since the first round.

In this victory, it was notable that other players led the offense even on a day when Lee Hae-ram's shots rarely went in.

Lee Hae-ram played 31 minutes and 21 seconds, recording 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. She made only 2 of her 12 field goal attempts. She hit 1 of 8 two-pointers and 1 of 4 three-pointers. She also managed to make only 2 of 4 free throws.

However, Samsung Life Insurance's offense did not come to a halt. Kang Yu-rim shared the scoring burden with Lee Hae-ram through accurate outside shooting. She performed with 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists in 35 minutes and 23 seconds. In particular, she made 5 of her 6 three-point attempts. Her success rate was a whopping 83.3%.

Samsung Life Insurance made a total of 7 three-pointers on this day. Five of them came from Kang Yu-rim's fingertips. It was not a game where the team's outside shooting went well overall, but Kang Yu-rim led the offense with high accuracy.

Miyasaka Momo also contributed strength. She recorded 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists, scoring directly while also creating offensive opportunities for her teammates. In 33 minutes and 32 seconds of play, she had only 1 turnover. Kang Yu-rim and Momo combined for 41 points to lead the team to victory.

The performances of the two players stood out in the process of changing the game's flow. Samsung Life Insurance trailed 14-20 after the first quarter, but scored 21 points in the second quarter to end the first half leading 35-32. They added another 21 points in the third quarter to widen the gap to 56-45.

In the final quarter, BNK chased. While Samsung Life Insurance struggled to score, they closed the gap to 5 points at 56-51. At this time, Kim A-reum's offensive rebound led to a basket under the rim, and Kang Yu-rim's three-pointer also went in. Momo joined in scoring to put the brakes on BNK's pursuit.

Lee Hae-ram, who had been struggling with shooting difficulties, also added necessary points at crucial moments. With 3 minutes and 1 second remaining, she made a two-pointer to make it 65-54. While her teammates protected the lead, Lee Hae-ram also contributed to the victory with late-game scoring.

Other players also did their part. Choi Ye-seul recorded 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists, while Han Ya-eun guarded the paint with 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks.

Kim A-reum was limited to 2 points but grabbed all 5 of her rebounds as offensive rebounds. She created opportunities for Samsung Life Insurance to attack again even after teammates' shots missed. Lee Ye-na also contributed strength by scoring 5 points in 10 minutes and 47 seconds.

Samsung Life Insurance had also defeated defending champion KB the previous day, led by Kim A-reum's 19 points and Lee Hae-ram's 18 points. The next day, Kang Yu-rim and Momo led the offense. Despite the burden of playing consecutive games over two days, multiple players shared the scoring to secure a victory.

Of course, it is still early in the season. BNK also took the court on this day with the absence of Park Hye-jin and Kim Sonia due to injuries. An Hye-ji fought hard with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists but could not prevent defeat. Samsung Life Insurance must also overcome opposing teams' responses and the long season schedule ahead.

Even so, the fact that other players showed solutions on a day when the ace's scoring decreased is a clear gain. Samsung Life Insurance, which had been evaluated as the bottom candidate, rose to the top of the standings by piling up victories in that way.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original