South Korea wins the men’s basketball gold medal at the Asian Games in Nagoya, beating host Japan 67-57 in the final. Forward Lee Hyun-jung scores 27 points, with 13 coming in the decisive third quarter, and also leads with 18 rebounds. The final is low-scoring compared with Korea’s earlier meeting with Japan, and South Korea completes an unbeaten run at the tournament.
Earlier in the competition, Korea reaches the knockout stage as Group A’s top seed after beating Japan 100-83 in the group finale. Guard Lee Jung-hyun scores 25 points and center Jang Jae-seok adds 18 points and eight rebounds, helping Korea finish the group stage with a stronger point differential than its pool opponents. Korea then dismisses Jordan 114-80 in the quarterfinal, led by Lee Hyun-jung’s 28 points and six three-pointers. In the semifinal, Korea beats Iran 77-51 to reach the final, setting up a matchup against Japan, which plays China in the other semifinal.
While outlets focus on different moments—such as Korea’s dominant Jordan quarterfinal, the semifinal win over Iran, or the final’s scoring swing—the common thread is Korea’s progression from Group A top seed to an unbeaten run culminating in gold.
