"You don't need to play the full 10 minutes?" 女 3x3 basketball: South Korea defeats Thailand in 'cold game' victory after just over seven minutes, securing a valuable bronze medal in the first-ever AG [Aichi Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

The South Korean women's 3x3 basketball national team has won its first-ever medal at the Asian Games.

Led by head coach Jeon Byeong-jun, the South Korean team defeated Thailand 21-8 in the bronze medal match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Women's 3x3 Basketball Tournament held on the 25th at a special court at Nagoya Kintetsu Station Plaza in Japan.

Earlier that morning, South Korea had lost to Japan 8-19 in the semifinals but secured a decisive victory in the bronze medal match, finishing third in the tournament. This was the first time the South Korean Yeo Ja (CEO) team advanced to the semifinals in Asian Games history, quickly overcoming the disappointment of missing the finals and achieving a successful conclusion.

This marks the first time since 3x3 basketball was introduced as an official sport at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games that the South Korean women's team has won a medal.

The back-and-forth flow of the early game shifted dramatically when South Korea unleashed its sharp outside shooting, taking control immediately. The team reached 21 points in just 7 minutes and 36 seconds before the full 10-minute regulation time ended, securing a 'cold game' victory.

After tying the score at 6-6, Shinhan Bank's Heo Yu-jung took the lead with a two-point shot. Samsung Life's Choi Ye-seul then sank three consecutive two-point shots, extending the lead to 14-6 and creating a significant point gap.

Choi Ye-seul became the top contributor to the victory, scoring 10 points — including four successful two-point shots (80% success rate), the highest total for either team. Heo Yu-jung added seven points, Kim Jong-un (BNK) contributed two points, and Song Yun-ha (KB) anchored the paint with four rebounds and one blocked shot.

South Korea dominated Thailand's outside shooting throughout the match, converting 8 of 15 two-point attempts (53% success rate), while limiting Thailand to just two successful shots out of six attempts (33% success rate).

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*This content was translated by AI.