BNK’s bench, which was picked as a weakness, was different in the second round of the championship match

BNK players who came off the bench added vitality to the team.

Busan BNK met Asan Woori Bank in the second leg of the Shinhan Bank SOL 2022-2023 Women’s Professional Basketball Championship held at Asan Yi Sun-shin Gymnasium on the 21st and lost 67-84.

BNK recruited Umji Han (180cm, F)안전놀이터 this off-season and started challenging the playoffs consecutively for the first time since its foundation. The result was a great success. Over the playoffs, they occupied the top seed and obtained the home advantage.

At the center was a strong starting lineup. Ahn Hye-ji (165cm, G), Lee So-hee (170cm, G), Han Um-ji, Kim Han-byeol (178cm, F), and Jinan (183cm, C) built a starting lineup, which played the biggest role in creating a sensation.

Conversely, BNK was one of the teams with the highest reliance on starting players. Kim Si-on (175cm, F) played as a sixth man, but the average score was only 4 points. Also, players other than Kim Si-on did not get many opportunities. That is why BNK struggled when key players got into foul trouble.

In the first leg of the championship match, BNK struggled with Jinan’s foul trouble.

BNK scored 22 points in the first quarter. Because Lee So-hee drove 8 points and other players scored evenly. However, Jinan committed 3 fouls from the first quarter and got into foul trouble. As the true eye fell, BNK could not respond to the opponent’s rhythm. As a result, only 4 points were scored in the 2nd quarter. On the contrary, I gave 20 points to my opponent. They launched a counterattack in the second half, but the score difference in the second quarter was too great.

Because Jinan was so active, Jinan’s foul trouble was painful for BNK. That’s why BNK coach Park Jeong-eun said ahead of the second game of the championship match, “In the beginning of the first game, Jinan got into foul trouble early. So it didn’t work out well in defense or rebounding. There was no true eye, so I attacked according to the rhythm of the opponent, so the rhythm fell.”

And BNK’s foul trouble came out in the second game as well. Umji Han committed 3 fouls from the first quarter and fell into foul trouble. However, Han Umji’s void was not greatly felt. The reason was because Kim Si-on (175cm, F) was there. Kim Si-on diligently ran and added vitality to the team. In particular, he broke the opponent’s flow by scoring 4 points in a row at the beginning of the 2nd quarter. At the same time, he also scored an extra point, scoring 6 points in the second quarter alone.

However, BNK’s crisis continued. 1 minute and 57 seconds before the end of the second quarter, Kim Han-byul bumped into Kim Dan-bi and complained of pain, and did not return to the field after that. Also, 3 minutes and 7 seconds after the start of the 3rd quarter, Han Umji committed the 4th foul. Kim Si-on scored 4 points in a row, and Kim Min-ah (171cm, G), who came off the bench, scored 5 points, but it was not enough. BNK allowed 2-17 runs to the opponent, and BNK finished the third quarter with 48-66.

The players who were usually active on the bench showed more than expected, but the score difference that had already occurred was too large and they lost the game without being able to break the flow of the opponent.

It was a shame to give up both games 1 and 2. And the biggest loss was foul trouble. Nevertheless, BNK saw hope. This is because Kim Si-on, who came off the bench, scored 10 points and filled the void of the main players, and Lee Sa-bin (173cm, G) spurred on from the outside and scored 7 points. In addition, Kim Min-ah (171cm, G) also played 7 minutes, but scored 5 points.

BNK’s weakness is the bench players. However, in the second round, it was a little different. If players continue to show off these performances, these weaknesses will be addressed. The key is the consistent performance of the players.