Samsung Life's Kiana Smith expressed her excitement for her first ever playoffs.

Samsung Life won 85-71 against Hana OneQ in the 2023-2024 Woori Bank WON Women's Professional Basketball League at the Yongin Indoor Gymnasium on Nov. 18. Samsung Life clinched third place. Kiana exploded for 22 points. They will likely meet Woori Bank in the playoffs.

Hana OneQ remained in fourth place with a 9-18 record, but their lead over fifth-place Shinhan Bank was reduced to 1.5 games.

After the game, Kiana said, "It's a good feeling to show that kind of performance because it's the time when we need to push forward before the playoffs."

Kiana is still not in perfect shape. She injured her knee last year. This season, she returned at the end of the second round.

"Every day is different," she said. Last year, I had a lot to show, and I'm trying to move like that. I'm trying to be pain-free and perform as well as I can," she said.

For now, 안전놀이터 health comes first. "My number one goal as a player is to win, of course. But when I'm on the court, my body doesn't feel the same. My goal is to finish the tournament healthy," she confessed.

This is the first postseason of her career. "This is my first playoffs as a professional. I'm looking forward to it and excited."

The game was attended by her mother, who flew in from the United States.

"In the U.S., she comes to the stadium a lot. It's nice to be able to show her the Korean stadium. Even if she doesn't come to the stadium, she watches it all on TV at home, so there's not much difference. However, I will miss it when I go back to the U.S. tomorrow (Nov. 19)," she laughed.

Woori Bank is a tricky opponent. "They're a very tough team," says Kiana. Kim Dan-bi is so good against us. They have a solid starting lineup, they are aggressive, strong, and tough. We need to prepare a lot, but we're getting better and better, so I think we'll have a good game."