S. Korea reaches women's basketball semifinals
South Korean players celebrate their 101-59 victory over Indonesia in the women's basketball quarterfinals at the Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, Thursday. Yonhap
NAGOYA, Japan — South Korea blew out Indonesia to grab a ticket to the women's basketball semifinals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday.
Seven players scored in double figures to help South Korea beat Indonesia 101-59 in the quarterfinals at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya. In Friday's semifinals, South Korea will meet the winner of the Mongolia-China quarterfinal showdown.
Coached by Park Soo-ho, South Korea is chasing its first gold medal in women's hoops since 2014 and its fifth overall. The men's national team won gold here Sunday.
South Korea set the tone early by draining six three-pointers in the first quarter and taking a 28-18 lead in the opening 10 minutes.
South Korea pulled away further in the second quarter, making four more shots from long distance to take a 52-30 lead into the second half.
After being held scoreless for about three minutes at the start of the third quarter, South Korea soon regained its rhythm and built a 71-43 lead entering the final frame.
South Korea opened the fourth quarter on a 7-0 run en route to the easy win.
Choi I-saem led South Korea with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting. Guards Heo Ye-eun and An He-ji each dished out eight assists.
"This was the most satisfying game we have played so far in this tournament," coach Park said. "Indonesia has made some strides since we met last year and our players looked a little stiff early on. But we had a few fast breaks in the second half, and it was smooth sailing from there."
Park predicted China would beat Mongolia to reach the semifinals.
"We have to keep moving our feet. We excel in transition opportunities and we are a good shooting team. So we have to be quick on offense," Park said. "I have been asking Heo Ye-eun and An He-ji to look for shooters."
Captain Kang Lee-seul, who scored 11 points and made three shots from behind the arc, said South Korea has to be sharper on defense.
"The men's team got a hero's welcome after winning gold and we will try to match their success," Kang said. "I think the semifinal game will be the most important one for us and will prepare for it the best we can."