By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
The South Korean team cruised through to the second round of the Asian Basketball Championship, routing Sri Lanka 122-54 Friday in Tianjin, China.
In its second game of Group A, swingmen Lee Kyu-sup and Bang Sung-yoon hit eight 3-pointers each, to catapult head coach Hur Jae's side to a 2-0 mark.
Korean players made 25 3s in 51 attempts, and Lee finished with game-high 28 points, while Bang added 24.
South Korea also posted a 95-74 drubbing of Japan in its opening game of the tournament on Thursday.
The two victories have earned the East Asians a berth to the second stage, where the top three teams from four pools will advance and be divided into two groups of six teams.
The best four in each group will round out the quarterfinals, and the top three finalists will reach the FIBA World Championship in Turkey next year.
Former Portland Trailblazer Ha Seung-jin scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds and dominated the paint to start the game. Guard Kang Byung-hyun, who dropped 12 of his 18 points in the opening quarter, and Lee performed well inside and out to give Korea a 65-23 halftime lead.
In the third period, Bang, the 1.95-meter SK Knight forward, showcased his soft touch from beyond the arc, draining all eight of his treys during the quarter and the advantage quickly ballooned to 97-38 to start the fourth.
Hur lost a pair of players to injury in the easy victory.
Forward Yang Hee-jong, who scored 23 points against Japan, picked up a finger injury that is likely to sideline him in for the next game, and point guard Yang Dong-geun suffered an eye injury.
Korea will play the Philippines at 8 p.m. Saturday.