Korea blows out Jordan to reach men's basketball semifinals
Summary
Korea breezed past Jordan 114-80 in Nagoya, Japan, on Wednesday to reach the semifinals of the men’s basketball tournament at the Asian Games. Lee Hyun-jung led Korea with 28 points and nine rebounds, and Korea moved within two wins of its first gold medal in 12 years. The team will face the winner of Iran vs. Bahrain in Friday’s semifinals.
Key Facts
- Korea opened the game with a 10-0 run and led 28-8 after the first quarter.
- Lee Hyun-jung scored 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting in just under 21 minutes and hit six of 10 three-pointers.
- Korea outrebounded Jordan 44-29 and had a 14-7 edge in offensive rebounds.
- Korea has won four straight games in Nagoya after beating Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Japan in the preliminary phase.
- Korea last won men’s basketball gold at the Asian Games in Incheon in 2014, then took bronze in 2018 and was eliminated in the quarterfinals in 2023.
Lee Hyun-jung of Korea, right, takes a shot against Jordan during the teams' quarterfinal game of the men's basketball tournament at the Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, Sept. 16. Yonhap
NAGOYA, Japan — Korea breezed past Jordan 114-80 to reach the semifinals of the men's basketball tournament at the Asian Games in Japan on Wednesday, moving within two wins of claiming its first gold medal in a dozen years.
Korea dominated Jordan in all aspects in the blowout quarterfinal victory at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, central Japan, where forward Lee Hyun-jung led the way with 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting in just under 21 minutes of action. He drained six three-pointers in 10 attempts and also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
Coached by Nikolajs Mazurs, Korea has now won four straight games in Nagoya, having run the table in the preliminary phase with wins over Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Japan.
In Friday's semifinals, Korea will face the winner of the Iran-Bahrain contest set for Wednesday afternoon.
Korea last won the men's hoops gold medal in 2014 on its home soil of Incheon. Korea then settled for bronze in 2018 before getting eliminated in the quarterfinals in 2023.
Korea set the tone early, starting the game with a 10-0 run and playing some smothering defense. Korea collected five steals in the first quarter as it built a 28-8 lead after the first 10 minutes.
Yeo Jun-seok of Korea, center, celebrates after getting a dunk against Jordan during the teams' quarterfinal game of the men's basketball tournament at the Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, Sept. 16. Yonhap
Jordan only got its first basket 3:34 into the game and never found its offensive rhythm, often turning to the U.S.-born forward Perrin Buford to create something out of nothing in isolation.
Korea kept the pedal to the metal in the second quarter. Its lead grew to 37-11 after Yu Ki-sang sank two free throws on an unsportsmanlike foul by Fadi Mustafa.
After Jordan got two quick buckets, Korea snuffed out any hope of a rally with five unanswered points.
Forward Choi Jun-yong, who arrived in Japan late Tuesday after trying to land a contract with a U.S. team, made his Nagoya debut with a three-pointer that pushed the lead to 42-15 at 5:05 mark.
Guard Lee Jung-hyun joined the party with back-to-back treys that made it a 48-16 game for Korea with three minutes left in the first half.
The Jordanians closed the second quarter on an 11-3 run in those final three minutes, making their first two three-pointers of the game in the process, but Korea still took a comfortable, 51-27 lead into the second half.
It was much the same story in the third quarter, as Korea went on a 14-5 run thanks to Lee Hyun-jung's three and Byeon Jun-hyeong's three-point play after a layup.
After a Jordan timeout, Lee Hyun-jung dialed in from long distance on back-to-back possessions for a 71-37 lead at 5:41 mark.
Korean players on the bench celebrate a three-pointer made by Lee Jung-hyun against Jordan during the teams' quarterfinal game of the men's basketball tournament at the Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, Sept. 16. Yonhap
After a quick layup, Lee drained a deep three from Stephen Curry range to push his team's lead to 84-44 at 1:52. The former Davidson forward scored 19 points in the third quarter.
Korea emptied its bench in the final frame and topped the century mark in points for the second straight game.
Korea outrebounded Jordan 44-29 and had a 14-7 edge in offensive boards.
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