[Asian Games] Men's Basketball Advances to Quarterfinals... Faces Host Country China in 14 Hours

Clash with China for Semifinals at 1 PM on the 3rd
Match Immediately After 14-Hour Rest... 'Grueling Schedule'

The South Korean men's basketball team has advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games and will face China.

On the 1st, at the Deqing basketball court in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, during the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games 3x3 basketball men's semifinal between Korea and Taiwan, Korea's Lee Won-seok (left) is contesting the ball with Taiwan's Wang Jieyu.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Led by head coach Chu Il-seung, the basketball team defeated Bahrain 88-73 in the quarterfinal qualification match held on the 2nd at the Zhejiang University Zijin River Gymnasium in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.

Earlier, South Korea lost 77-83 to Japan in the final group stage match on the 30th of last month, missing out on first place in the group and direct advancement to the quarterfinals.

With this victory, the team advancing to the quarterfinals will face the host nation China, which won all three games in Group B. In the group stage, China demonstrated overwhelming strength with big wins over Mongolia 89-50, Taiwan 89-69, and Hong Kong 95-50.

The quarterfinal match will be held at 1 PM on the 3rd. South Korea must play with only 14 hours of rest before stepping back onto the court, facing a tight schedule.

If burdened by physical fatigue, South Korea will fail to reach the semifinals for the first time since the 2006 Doha Asian Games if they do not win this quarterfinal match.

Since the 1954 Manila Games, South Korea has consistently advanced to the semifinals in basketball, except for the 2006 Doha Games, where they failed to reach the semifinals.

The South Korean team employed a thorough rotation against Bahrain to prepare for the quarterfinals against China. Coach Chu used all 12 players on the roster, securing an early lead.

In the first quarter, Yang Hong-seok (LG) scored 8 points and Ha Yoon-gi (KT) scored 6 points to seize the initiative. In the third quarter, Lee Woo-seok (Hyundai Mobis) scored consecutively, pushing the score to 75-51, distancing Bahrain by 24 points. Although Bahrain attempted a comeback in the fourth quarter, it was insufficient.

The South Korean women's basketball team, led by head coach Jung Sun-min, succeeded in advancing to the semifinals. After a commanding 93-71 victory over the Philippines, marking their fourth consecutive win, the women's team will face their longtime rival Japan at 9 PM on the 3rd in a match for a place in the final.