Hyundai Beats Kookmin Bank

Hyundai pushed Kookmin Bank to their third straight loss to recover a winning percentage of 0.5.

At the Women`s professional basketball league match held in Cheongju Gymnasium on August 5, Hyundai beat Kookmin Bank 64-58, led by Kim Young-ok who scored 21 points including three three-point shots. The victory came after the team lost to Samsung Life only a day earlier.

Hyundai kept the third place with six wins and six losses, pushing Kookmin Bank down to the fifth with four wins and seven losses.

Walters, a foreign center whose ups and downs have become a cause of concern for Hyundai coaching staff, scored 18 points and made 16 rebounds playing 35 minutes.

31-year-old Jun Joo-won, a seasoned women`s basketball player, scored 9 points and made 6 assists and 4 rebounds, leading the team` victory on both offense and defense.

“I am proud of our players who have been doing well despite challenges. We are going to visit the memorial site for chairman Chung tomorrow,” said head coach Lee Young-joo.

The game was heating up, with the two teams tied fourth time through the fourth quarter. Hyundai began to take a lead by 57-56 only 2 minutes and 34 seconds left. During the timeout, the head coaches of the two teams were as energetic as players, saying, “We need to be aggressive. Get the rebound and form a tight defense.”

Then, Walters scored two points under the goal post, and Kim Young-ok scored three points including layer-up shot and a bonus one shot only 46.7 seconds before the call, nailing down the team`s victory.

Jong-Seok Kim kjs0123@donga.com