South Korea advances to the basketball finals! Lee Woo-seok dominated the first half, followed by 'Lee Hyun-jung is crazy' in the second... Iran defeated, one step closer to gold after 12 years

*This content was translated by AI.

The South Korean men's basketball team advanced to the Asian Games finals for the first time in 12 years by overcoming a tough opponent, Iran.

Under the guidance of coach Nicolas Mazulis of Latvia, the South Korean Nam Ja-nong-gu (CEO)team defeated Iran 77-51 in the men's basketball semi-finals at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on the 18th, securing a spot in the finals of the 2026 Aichi·Nagoya Asian Games.

This marks South Korea's first appearance in the Asian Games men's basketball finals since winning the gold medal at the 2014 Incheon Games, 12 years later.

The team also erased the pain of finishing seventh with their worst-ever performance after being eliminated in the quarterfinals at the previous Hangzhou Asian Games.

South Korea has been on a tear in this tournament. They swept Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Japan in the group stage to finish first in Group A with three wins. In the quarterfinals, they crushed Jordan 114-80, and now have defeated Iran as well, continuing their undefeated run.

Iran, met on the path to the finals, was by no means an easy opponent. Ranked 28th in the FIBA world rankings, Iran is a traditional powerhouse in Asia with a higher standing than South Korea. They also finished third at the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup held last year.

There was also bad blood between the two teams. At the previous Hangzhou Asian Games, both sides met in the 5th-8th place classification match after being eliminated from the quarterfinals; South Korea lost to Iran 82-89 at that time. South Korea ultimately finished seventh, while Iran ended fifth.

This time was different. Team ace Lee Hyun-jung continued his outstanding performance as always. He recorded a double-double with 26 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists, and also hit an impressive seven three-pointers.

The hero of the first half was Lee Woo-seok. Lee Woo-seok led South Korea's offense with 19 points and three rebounds, including three three-pointers. In particular, he scored 14 points in the first half alone, stepping up as a savior whenever Iran intensified its comeback attempts. Lee Jung-hyun also contributed with three three-pointers and 11 points. Yeo Jun-seok added nine points.

South Korea set the tone from the start by relying heavily on their perimeter shooting.

Opening with a three-pointer from Lee Jung-hyun in the first quarter, South Korea saw Lee Hyun-jung hit back-to-back three-pointers, and Lee Woo-seok joined in with his own long-range shots, building a 12-6 lead.

Iran attempted to close the gap, but once again, Lee Woo-seok emerged as the savior.

Lee Woo-seok sank another three-pointer, giving South Korea a 15-8 lead as they closed out the first quarter.

Starting the second quarter with a 15-8 advantage, South Korea immediately shut down Iran's offense without allowing any points while racking up consecutive scores to build their first two-digit lead of the game.

Whenever Iran tried to mount a comeback, Lee Woo-seok cut off their momentum. Especially near the end of the shot clock, he made a difficult jump shot to maintain South Korea's two-digit lead.

Toward the end of the second quarter, there was a brief moment of danger as Iran mounted a strong comeback and narrowed the score gap.

But it was Lee Woo-seok once again. He aggressively drove to the basket, scoring while drawing a foul on his opponent. It was an intentional foul called in a crucial moment.

South Korea regained control of the game and finished the first half with a 36-24 lead, ahead by 12 points.

Lee Woo-seok scored a team-high 14 points despite playing only about 14 minutes in the first half. Lee Hyun-jung also recorded 11 points and 10 rebounds in the first half alone, completing his double-double early on.

While Lee Woo-seok carried the team in the first half, it was Lee Hyun-jung's turn to take over from the second half onward. In the third quarter, South Korea broke Iran's comeback spirit as Choi Jun-yong, Lee Hyun-jung, and Lee Jung-hyun took turns hitting three-pointers.

Although the flow seemed somewhat disrupted by consecutive fouls called against South Korea, the players remained steady.

In particular, Lee Hyun-jung made his presence felt on both ends of the floor. He assisted Jang Jae-seok's score late in the third quarter and on defense, he drew a steal followed by an opponent foul. Both free throws earned were successfully converted.

Lee Woo-seok, the hero of the first half, also contributed with another three-pointer.

Then Lee Hyun-jung delivered a decisive blow. He made a three-pointer while drawing a foul on his opponent, completing a perfect four-point play after sinking the additional free throw as well. This was the moment South Korea fully seized control of the game.

South Korea finished the third quarter with a commanding 61-37 lead, ahead by an impressive 24 points.

Despite holding a large lead, South Korea did not let their guard down in the fourth quarter. Right from the start, Lee Hyun-jung sank another three-pointer, serving as a nail in the coffin to crush Iran's comeback hopes.

With the outcome effectively decided, South Korea gave playing time to players who had seen limited action so far to prepare for the finals.

South Korea managed the remaining time steadily, preventing any comeback from Iran, and ultimately secured a comfortable victory.

South Korea's next opponent will be the winner of the semi-final match between Japan and China. South Korea is now just one step away from winning their first Asian Games gold medal in 12 years.

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*This content was translated by AI.