Last season's co-MVP, Kim Dan-bi, is on pace for a triple-double and 500 career blocked shots

Woori Bank's Kim Dan-bi's shot

Defending women's professional basketball champion Asan Woori Bank started the new season with a victory over last season's championship game opponent Busan BNK.

Woori Bank defeated BNK 74-70 in overtime in the official opening home game of the 2023-2024 Woori WON Women's Professional Basketball League at the Asan Yi Sunshin Gymnasium on Friday.

Woori Bank, which won the regular season and the championship last season to win its 11th championship and 10th overall title, recorded its first win of the season by scheduling a "return match" against its championship opponent, BNK.

BNK, which had its best performance since its inception in 2019, including second place in the regular season and runner-up in the championship, turned around after losing three straight games to Woori Bank in the championship, but this time, it was unable to overcome Woori Bank and suffered its first loss of the season.

Woori Bank jumped out to a 20-16 lead in the first quarter, led by Park Ji-hyun with seven points and four rebounds and Kim Dan-bi with six points, four rebounds and four assists.

BNK tied the game at 31-31 with 2:40 left in the second quarter thanks to back-to-back three-pointers from Ahn Hye-ji and Lee So-hee, but Woori Bank answered with back-to-back baskets from Yoo Seung-hee and Park Ji-hyun to take a 35-31 lead into the half.

At the end of a back-and-forth third quarter, Woori held a slim 46-44 advantage, but in a seesaw game in the fourth quarter, while Woori's field goal percentage dropped, BNK took control.

Starting with a three-pointer from rookie Kim Jong-un with 5:23 to go, Jin-an and Kim Han-byul scored steadily to make it 61-56 with 2:50 left.

However, a "one-woman show" by Kim Dan-bi brought Woori back into the game at 62-61 with 14 to go, and in a back-and-forth game, the two teams were unable to tie the score at 64-64 by the end of the fourth quarter, sending the game into overtime for the first time this season.

After BNK's Kim Han-byul fouled out with five fouls at the start of the overtime period, Woori Bank, which was slowly gaining momentum, took a 73-68 lead with 54.3 seconds left when Goara finished off Kim Dan-bi's 10th assist to complete her triple-double with a three-pointer.

Kim, who joined Woori last season and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) in both the regular season and championship game, continued her "ace" performance, scoring a game-high 32 points to go along with 17 rebounds and 10 assists for her eighth career triple-double.

She also added three blocked shots on the night to surpass 500 career blocked shots (501 total). The 500 blocked shots milestone is the second all-time in the WNBA, behind only the retired Lee Jong-ae (862).

Park Ji-hyun recorded a double-double with Kim Dan-bi with 14 points and 14 rebounds.

For BNK, Jin-an finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds, while Ahn Hye-ji contributed 15 points and 11 assists.

슬롯사이트; www.slotplayground.com