‘Park Ji-soo-Kim Dan-bi Pulpul’ women’s basketball team defeats North Korea by 30 points…and wins a priceless

The South Korean women’s basketball team won the bronze medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games with a dominant victory in the ‘Battle of the Koreas’.

South Korea cruised to a 93-63 victory over North Korea in the women’s basketball third-place game at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games on Friday at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.

“Pillar center” Park Ji-soo led the way with 25 points and 10 rebounds. On the perimeter, Kim Dan-bi (21 points, 6 rebounds) added sparkle to the offense with her athleticism.

Kim, who announced her retirement from the national team after the tournament, completed her “last dance” with a strong third quarter. She scored 13 points in the quarter, including three three-pointers, to put the final nail in North Korea’s coffin.

This is the fourth consecutive medal for the Korean women’s basketball team, following their silver in Guangzhou 2010, gold in Incheon 2014 and silver in Jakarta-Palembang 2018.

Korea topped Group C with wins over Thailand (90-56), North Korea (81-62) and Chinese Taipei (87-59) in the group stage to reach the quarterfinals. They continued their cruise with a 93-71 win over the Philippines in the quarterfinals.

On the way to the finals, however, they ran into an old foe, falling 58-81 to Japan, a team armed with relentless outside shooting and quick transitions based on a “5 OUT” formation.

It was the first time in 17 years since the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, where they finished fourth. They had hoped to regain the Asian title nine years after the 2014 edition in Incheon, but were stopped in the semifinals.

The third- and fourth-place games will be the second North-South clash of the tournament. South Korea secured a 19-point victory over North Korea in the second round of the tournament’s group stage on March 29.

At the time, all eyes were on the matchup between women’s basketball pillar Park Ji-soo (25, KB) and “205 cm monster center” Park Jin-ah (20, DPRK).

Coming off a 51-point performance against Chinese Taipei prior to the South Korean game, Park proved to be just as dominant as expected, scoring 29 points, grabbing 17 rebounds and dishing out four assists. She had the most points and rebounds of any player on either team and shot 57% from the field (12/21). She was no match for Park Ji-soo one-on-one.

After struggling against Park early in the game, South Korea took a detour. In the second quarter, Park Ji-soo drove to the long 2 area and pulled Park out from under the basket, forcing her into a mistake with a surprise double team. Park finished with five turnovers. From there, South Korea slowly took control of the game. A clever “detour” paved the way for a 19-point victory. In the bronze medal game, Korea had the same result.

◆1Q: North Korea’s poisonous vibe… Korea fails to contain Park Jin-ah (15-21)

The game was tense from the start. South Korea fell behind 4-8 after consecutive errors by Park Jin-ah and Lee Eun-jong.

It was clear that North Korea was determined not to repeat the result of the previous day. They started off with high energy levels and put pressure on the Korean ballhandlers.

Park Ji-soo, the national team’s pillar, stepped up. With her aggressive dinai, she tied Park Jin-ah’s score and added four points midway through the first quarter. She showed her presence on offense. Veteran shooter Kang Isul also helped regain the lead with a clean corner three-pointer.

However, with a 13-12 lead, North Korea’s veteran center Roh Sook-young missed two free throws and got an outside shot from shooter Hong Yeon-ah. They lost four more points in a row in the final minute of the first quarter to “monster center” Park Jin-ah, who kept getting into the paint.

Park Ji-soo and Park Jin-ah combined for eight points in the first quarter, but their North Korean teammates’ support shined through.

2Q: I’ll lead the chase…’Storming 11 points’ Park Ji-soo turns the tide (40-33)

South Korea pulled away with Park Ji-soo leading the charge. She scored the first seven points of the second quarter to close the gap to 22-26. Park continued to harass North Korea with a variety of weapons, including post-ups, free throws, and fast break finishes.

With the score 23-27, Park was involved in another fast break to build up points under the basket. She calmly took a pass from Lee So-hee, who was a little shaky, and made an ‘A’ pass. Jin An then made two free throws to tie the score at 27-27 with 4:22 left in the quarter.

On the ensuing possession, Lee Kyung-eun hit a three-pointer to ignite the fire and Lee So-hee added a free throw for a four-point lead. They never trailed again. Park scored 11 points in the second quarter to help South Korea go into halftime with a 40-33 lead.

◆3Q: Park Ji-soo and Kim Dan-bi explode… 4th consecutive medal (63-44)

It was a slow start to the third quarter. They were held scoreless for the first 3 minutes and 20 seconds. In the meantime, Park Jin-ah, Lee Eun-jong, and Roh Sook-young scored seven consecutive points to tie the score at 40-40.

At this point, Park Ji-soo stepped up again. On an assist to Park, she scored under the basket through a two-on-two game with Lee Kyung-eun to extend the lead to seven points (49-42).

Even Kim Dan-bi, who announced her retirement from the national team after this tournament, showed her veteran strength. She scored 13 points in the third quarter alone, including three three-pointers, to put a damper on the opposition’s chances of catching up. By the end of the third quarter, the lead had grown to nearly 20 points. The game was effectively tilted in Korea’s favor. 토토사이트

4Q: Early ‘garbage time’…Korea wins bronze!

The fourth quarter turned into a garbage game early on. Kim Dan-bi was flying. She took advantage of a lax North Korean defense early in the quarter and hit two outside shots. Once she got a “taste” of the game, she pounded the opponent’s perimeter like a barrage of gunfire. The South Korean bench erupted in celebration, including Park Ji-soo, who was taking a break. It was a feast.

Coach Chung Sun-min, who had rested many of his starters, watched the game in a relaxed manner. He had guided South Korea to its fourth consecutive Asian Games medal, though the team had failed to regain the Asian title after nine years. It was only on the final day that he smiled.