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2018 Korean League Finals Game 1

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March 18, 2018

Woori Bank vs. KB Stars 63-57

The much anticipated WKBL Finals began on Saturday with first placed Wibee Woori Bank taking on second placed KB Stars. During the regular season KB took a 4-3 series lead over Woori. At the conclusion of the regular season Woori Bank replaced their foreign player Destiny Williams with Chicago Sky’s Amber Harris. Harris most recently played in the Chinese League which she finished in December.

Natalie Achonwa had a huge double double of 15 points and 17 rebounds in Game 1 of the WKBL Finals.

After winning the semi-finals in three games, KB only had one day to rest before the finals began. Meanwhile, Woori  were able to await their opponent as the first placed team automatically advances to the finals. In a sold out gym, where KB fans seemed to outnumber the home fans, the game did not disappoint. Woori Bank came out playing well, it was obvious that they were more fresh than KB as they held onto a six point lead after the first period. KB kept pace with the hosts in the second and cut the lead to four at the half.

Things picked up in the third where both foreign players are allowed to play at the same time. KB came out strong led by Monique Currie who led her team in scoring for the night with 18 points. At one point KB took the lead 40-37 with four minutes left in the third but Woori quickly went on a 9 to 2 run to recapture the lead heading into the fourth.

With a four point lead heading into the fourth, Woori were able to keep KB at a short distance. For every basket KB made, Woori had an answer. They were able to take advantage of KB’s turnovers and took a ten point lead with four minutes remaining in the game. KB fought back and cut the lead to three with less than two minutes to play but were unable to complete the upset. Natalie Achonwa was excellent for the winners as she finished with 15 points and 17 rebounds. Game two will be played in Asan, Woori’s home gym, on Monday the 19th. Check out some action shots from the game here.

 

Korean League Finals Game 3 March 20th

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March 21, 2017

Game 3 of the WKBL finals needed overtime to decide it’s winner. In an exciting matchup, Samsung saw three of its best players foul out of the game. Alyssa Thomas, Kimberly Han and Park Hana all fouled out leaving Samsung without their three leading scorers for overtime play. Samsung was on the verge of winning the game in regulation despite their foul troubles. After Thomas fouled out of the game, Amber Harris came in and gave Samsung valuable minutes and scored three crucial baskets down the stretch in regulation. Samsung was up two points with five seconds to play before Park Hye-jin was fouled on a drive to the basket that gave her a chance to tie the game with four seconds on the clock. Park hit both free-throws which tied the game and eventually sent it to overtime. In overtime it was all Woori, as Samsung lost all of its weapons. Woori outscored Samsung 15 to 4 in the extra period and thus winning the 2017 Korean League Championship. Jonquel Jones saved her best for last as she had a monstrous outing scoring 27 points and pulling down 25 rebounds! Finals MVP Park Hye-Jin flirted with a triple double with 19 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists in forty-five minutes of play. Check out some photos from the final game here.

Samsung vs. Woori Bank 72-83 Samsung Thomas (29 min) 6 pts 11 rebs 3 asts Harris (15 min) 6 pts 2 rebs Park ( 39 min) 21 pts 4 rebs  Han (33 min) 12 pts 8 rebs 7 asts Bae (45 min) 13 pts 6 rebs  Woori Jones (40 min) 27 pts 25 rebs 5 blks Currie (4 min) 2 pts 1 reb Park (45 min) 19 pts 8 rebs 11 asts Lim (37 min) 16 pts 2 rebs Yang (26 min) 9 pts 9 rebs

Candace Parker Career Highlights! (Video)

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October 20, 2016

Candace Parker is one of the most decorated women’s basketball players in the world. She led the Tennessee Lady Vols to back to back national championships and was the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA Draft. Parker has won two WNBA Most Valuable Player Awards, the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award, WNBA All-Star Game MVP (2013), and two Olympic gold medals. She has also been selected to six All-WNBA teams and three All-Star teams. However, Parker has yet to win a WNBA title and tonight, for the first time in her eight year career, she has a shot to finally call herself a WNBA World Champion. The Los Angeles Sparks take on Minnesota Lynx at 8pm ET on ESPN2.

Sparks Back-to-Back Flashback (Video)

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October 20, 2016

Game 5 of the WNBA Finals is tonight as the LA Sparks are on the road to take on the defending champion Minnesota Lynx. With the series tied at 2 games a piece, the Lynx will attempt to be the first team since the LA Sparks to win back-to-back titles. The Sparks won titles in 2001 and 2002 but fell short to the Detroit Shock in 2003. Tune into ESPN 2 at 8pm ET to see if Candace Parker will finally win an elusive WNBA title or will the Lynx repeat as champions. Meanwhile, check out some highlights from the LA Sparks back-to-back WNBA titles.

Relive Alana Beard’s Game 1 Buzzer Beater

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October 11, 2016

As we all get ready for Game 2 of the 2016 WNBA finals, let’s take a second to look back at the heroic shot from Sparks veteran guard Alana Beard who hit a buzzer beater to help the visitors escape with game one of the series. In what was a battle from beginning to end, we could not have asked for a better ending to what will probably go down as one of the best Finals in the history of the WNBA. The Lynx are no stranger to being down in the Finals as they also lost game 1 of the 2015 WNBA finals before winning in 5 games against the Indiana Fever. Game 2 of the 2016 WNBA finals will be aired on ESPN2 at 8pm ET.