'Lee Hyun-jung's explosive 25 points' South Korea basketball national team breaks losing streak, defeats Saudi Arabia 85-72 in World Cup qualifiers... Coach Majors' record stands at 2 wins and 6 losses [Suwon On-site Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

The South Korean national basketball team secured a victory over Saudi Arabia at home, breaking their losing streak and turning around their momentum.

Led by head coach Nikolaj Majors, the South Korean men's national basketball team defeated Saudi Arabia 85-72 in the second round of Group F of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers, held at Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena at 7 p.m. on the 31st.

After suffering two consecutive losses in a pre-tournament away match against Japan and a defeat to Lebanon in the first round of Group F, South Korea had fallen into a three-game losing slump. With this precious win, they managed to break through their stagnation.

Entering the second round with a 3-3 record from the first round, South Korea dropped to last place in Group F after losing the opening match. Today's victory improved their second-round record to 4 wins and 4 losses, reigniting hopes of qualifying for the World Cup finals. In the second round, where 12 teams are divided into two groups, a total of seven teams will qualify for the finals: the top three from each group plus one additional team with the better record among the two fourth-place finishers.

On this day, Lee Hyun-jung and Yeo Jun-seok delivered explosive performances for South Korea. Lee Hyun-jung led the offense with 25 points, nine rebounds, six assists, and two steals, including three three-pointers. Yeo Jun-seok also shone brightly with 18 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Woo Seok contributed 11 points, Ahn Young-joon added eight points, Jang Jae-seok scored seven points, and Eddie Daniels chipped in with two points, three rebounds, one assist, and one steal. Saudi Arabia's center Mohamed Al-Suweillem fought hard with 31 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists, but could not prevent his team from losing.

The first quarter was tightly contested. Saudi Arabia focused heavily on attacking the paint, leveraging their center Al-Suweillem's height. South Korea countered with Lee Hyun-jung and Yeo Jun-seok leading the charge, maintaining a close game within a three-point margin. Just before the end of the quarter, Woo Seok secured a steal near the opponent's basket and converted a two-point shot, allowing South Korea to finish the first quarter ahead 19-16.

South Korea seized control in the second quarter. Opening with a three-pointer by Yu Gi-sang early in the period, they extended their lead through consecutive scoring bursts from Lee Hyun-jung and Yeo Jun-seok, pulling ahead to 31-20, an 11-point gap. Struggling with poor outside shooting, Saudi Arabia committed turnovers due to confusion among their own players during fast-break situations, further crumbling under pressure. South Korea calmly accumulated points, widening the lead to 35-21.

Saudi Arabia cut the deficit to 27-35 by hitting their first three-pointer of the game with 2 minutes and 36 seconds remaining in the quarter. However, just 0.8 seconds before halftime, Ahn Young-joon drew a three-point foul and converted all three free throws, allowing South Korea to end the first half leading 42-31.

South Korea's offensive firepower continued into the third quarter. After conceding an early three-pointer, they pulled ahead to 49-36 with a powerful dunk by Yeo Jun-seok and a three-pointer by Ahn Young-joon. As Saudi Arabia continued to struggle with poor field goal shooting, Lee Hyun-jung hit consecutive three-pointers, extending the lead to 62-45, a 17-point gap. Near the end of the quarter, South Korea allowed four consecutive points but still entered the final quarter leading 64-51 by 13 points.

South Korea briefly faltered early in the fourth quarter, prompting Saudi Arabia to close the gap to 60-68 with 6 minutes and 36 seconds remaining. However, South Korea regained focus and extended their lead back to 72-60. Later, with 2 minutes and 40 seconds left, Saudi Arabia hit a three-pointer to narrow the score to 74-67, but South Korea held on to secure the victory until the final whistle.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.