S. Korea beats Japan for men's basketball gold
South Korean men's basketball players celebrate their victory over Japan in the gold medal match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
South Korea defeated the home team Japan 67-57 for the men's basketball gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Sunday.
Forward Lee Hyun-jung scored 13 of his game-high 27 points in the decisive third quarter at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, as South Korea ended its 12-year gold medal drought in men's hoops. Lee, a former Davidson player, also led everyone with 18 rebounds.
The victory capped an unbeaten run for South Korea, which had earlier defeated Japan 100-83 in the group stage last Sunday.
Unlike that first meeting, this was a low-scoring affair. Japan shot only 28 percent from the field in the first half, with South Korea only marginally better at 33 percent over the first 20 minutes.
South Korea built an 11-5 lead with 6:23 left in the first quarter but then was held to just one more point the rest of the frame. Both teams missed some easy looks at the rim, with South Korea in particular rushing plays on the offensive end. Japan led 16-12 after the first quarter.
Kazuma Tsuya's three gave Japan a 19-12 lead early in the next quarter, but South Korean shooters found their stroke, with Choi Jun-yong and Lee Woo-suk each dialing in from long distance to spark a South Korean push. South Korea outscored Japan 16-12 in the second quarter, as the teams were knotted at 28-28 entering the second half.
South Korean men's basketball players celebrate with their national flag after defeating Japan 67-57 in the gold medal match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
The teams traded a few shots in the third quarter, with South Korea pulling away by eight points thanks to Lee Hyun-jung's outburst.
Lee drained a trio of three-pointers in the quarter as part of his 13 points, with Byeon Jun-hyeong, Lee Woo-suk and Lee Jung-hyun also draining shots from behind the arc.
Atsuya Ogawa and John Harper Jr. answered for Japan but South Korea still took a 55-47 lead into the final quarter. South Korea shot 6-of-8 from downtown in the third, after making only three out of 11 attempts in the first half.
South Korea remained in control in the final quarter, while Japan picked up a couple of offensive fouls early on.
Lee Jung-hyun's bucket pushed South Korea's lead to 62-49 with 7:26 left, before Ren Kanechika's three brought Japan back within 10.
But South Korea never relinquished its lead, and Japan missed three consecutive three-point attempts in one stretch with about two minutes left.
Lee Hyun-jung made a couple of free throws at the end and Jang made a steal during Japan's final possession to clinch the gold.
Lee joined his mother, Seong Jeong-a, as the second Asian Games gold medalist in his family. Seong helped South Korea to the 1990 women's hoops gold in Beijing.