“We will use this game as an opportunity”
Bucheon Hana OneQ won 72-61 against Incheon Shinhan Bank in the third round of the Woori Bank Woori WON 2023-2024 Women’s Professional Basketball League on Nov. 21 at Bucheon Indoor Gymnasium. The fourth-ranked Hana OneQ has a season record of 6 wins and 8 losses. They trail third-place Yongin Samsung Sinsung by one game.
Yang In-young (184 cm, C) led the way with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and two assists in 35 minutes and 12 seconds. He had 12 points and six rebounds in the first quarter alone. She was able to get the team into a one-quarter flow early on.
Yang In-young said after the game, “I didn’t play well in the last two games against KB Stars and Woori Bank. I didn’t play my role under the basket. Shinhan Bank didn’t have a player bigger than me. I tried to be more aggressive. I wanted to break the losing streak quickly and get on the upswing. I’m glad we won. It went well from the start. I was able to play confidently.”
“(Kim) Jung and I talked for a while after the match. She told me that I shouldn’t just play aggressively against Shinhan Bank, who don’t have any players bigger than me, but I should also do this against strong teams. She was right. No matter what team you play, you have to fight under the basket and look for outside opportunities. I try not to confuse myself,” he added.
Hana OneQ has six wins, 16 games ahead of the 2022-2023 season. Yang In-young is satisfied.
“The team atmosphere is better than in the 2022-2023 season. Still, the players, including her sister, are not satisfied. “We’re trying not to get too excited about the double-digit win total we’re aiming for. “We’re focusing on one game at a time,” she said, adding, “(The players) recognize that we’re going to the playoffs for the first time in our history even if the coach doesn’t mention it. If we continue to focus on one game at a time, double-digit wins and a playoff berth are both possible,” he said.
Yang In-young had to fight a lonely battle with Shin Ji-hyun (174 cm, G) until the 2022-2023 season. In the 2023-2024 season, he has Kim Jong-un (180 cm, F) and others around him to ease the pressure.
“It was hard to get away from the pressure. I feel less pressure than last year, but I still feel the responsibility to fight under the basket. I will use today’s game as an opportunity. I will fight under the basket in the next game with confidence,” she said.
Hana WonQ has been known to douse players with water when they are interviewed by broadcasters, but Yang In-young kept her press conferences clean.
“It’s not right to throw water on me every time,” she said, “Jung Eun-sister told me to stop. I didn’t do it because I was bullied. (Laughs.) Coincidentally, the only two times I didn’t do it were when I was interviewed by broadcasters. Fans shouldn’t misunderstand,” she said, leaving the press conference.