The Veteran Samsung Smiled First.

The Samsung Life kept its pride of ‘reputable basketball team,’ and smiled first.

It was the first game of the Women`s Pro Basketball Winter League Championship Series (best of 5) between the Samsung Life and the Woori Bank held at the Hoban Gymnasium in Choonchun on the 10th. The Samsung Life, which seeks its fifth championship in Women`s Pro Basketball, defeated the Woori Bank 89-78 with brilliant plays of Byun Yun-ha (26 points, 6 3-pointers) and Gent (27 points). The Shooting Guard Byun Yun-ha made 55% behind the arc, which was better than field goal average (25%), and showed herself off as a problem-solver by making shots in every crucial moment.

With that, the Samsung Life took the initiative by taking the first game, which means more than a win at the short series. The second game will be in the home of the Samsung Life, the Suwon Gymnasium.

The Samsung Life is the team that lost all four games against the Woori Bank during the regular season. The hidden card that they used for sure victory was the 2-3 match-up zone, which they cleverly mixed the zone defense. With this defense, the Samsung Life blocked the offense route of the Woori Bank from early in the game. And the Point Guard Lee Mi-sun controlled the offense and defense with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 interceptions, and the Center Kim Gye-ryung also did her job done with 16 points and 6 rebounds.

The Head Coach of the Woori Bank showed his will to fight by cutting his hair short on the 8th facing the Championship Series; however, he had to taste the bitterness of defeat before the mature experience of the Samsung Life.

The Samsung Life, which started the first quarter nicely with the score of 12-1, finished the first half 45-41 with stabled defense and even scoring of the starters. They faced a critical moment at the bottom half of the 2nd quarter when the Head Coach Park In-kyu left the court with 2 technical fouls; however, there was Coach Jung Mi-ra, who played guard in the National Team, at the Samsung Life. The Coach Jung, who is at the same age with the Head Coach Park, calmly led the bench and made the players settled.

The Samsung Life, who allowed the Woori Bank to lead at one point in the 3rd quarter, finished the 3rd quarter 65-58, and Byun Yun-ha made two consecutive 3 pointers from 7m range, so they confirmed the victory at 5 minutes and 36 seconds to go in the game by the score of 80-63.

Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com