Nagoya: South Korea breezed past Jordan 114-80 to reach the semifinals of the men's basketball tournament at the Asian Games in Japan, moving within two wins of claiming its first gold medal in a dozen years. The dominant performance at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya saw forward Lee Hyun-jung lead the way with 28 points, shooting an impressive 10-of-15 in just under 21 minutes, including six three-pointers. He also contributed a team-high nine rebounds.
According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea, coached by Nikolajs Mazurs, has now won four consecutive games in Nagoya, having successfully navigated the preliminary phase with victories over Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Japan. In the upcoming semifinals on Friday, South Korea will face Iran, which defeated Bahrain 79-74 in their quarterfinal match.
The other quarterfinal matchups feature China against Saudi Arabia and Japan facing Chinese Taipei. South Korea last secured the men's basketball gold medal in 2014 on home soil in Incheon, before settling for bronze in 2018 and being eliminated in the 2023 quarterfinals.
South Korea set an aggressive tone early in the game, starting with a 10-0 run and implementing a strong defensive strategy. They secured five steals in the first quarter, finishing with a 28-8 lead after ten minutes. Jordan struggled to find its offensive rhythm, relying heavily on U.S.-born forward Perrin Buford.
South Korea continued to dominate in the second quarter, expanding their lead to 37-11 after Yu Ki-sang sank two free throws following an unsportsmanlike foul by Fadi Mustafa. Despite Jordan's efforts to close the gap, South Korea maintained a comfortable 51-27 lead at halftime.
The third quarter mirrored the first half, with South Korea executing a 14-5 run led by Lee Hyun-jung and Byeon Jun-hyeong. After a Jordan timeout, Lee scored back-to-back three-pointers, extending the lead significantly. He continued his impressive performance, scoring 19 points in the third quarter alone.
In the final quarter, South Korea's bench players took over, and the team surpassed the century mark for the second consecutive game. South Korea's dominance was evident in their rebounding, with a 44-29 advantage overall and a 14-7 edge in offensive boards.