▲ South Korea's Lee Hyun-jung shoots during the second round of the FIBA Men's Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers against Saudi Arabia at the KT Sonicboom Arena in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on the 31st.
The South Korean men's basketball national team defeated Saudi Arabia, powered by the dynamic scoring duo of Lee Hyun-jung and Yeo Jun-seok, keeping their hopes alive for a spot in the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Coached by Nikolajs Mazurs, the South Korean squad secured an 85-72 victory over Saudi Arabia in the second round Group <?> match of the Asian qualifiers held at the KT Sonicboom Arena in Suwon.
With their first win of the second round, South Korea climbed from the bottom of the standings in sixth place to third.
Carrying over their records from the first round, 12 countries are competing in two groups of a round-robin league in the second round. The top three teams from each group, along with the best-performing fourth-place team, will earn tickets to the World Cup finals.
South Korea snapped a three-game losing streak, which included two losses in away exhibition matches against Japan and a defeat in their opening second-round Asian qualifier against Lebanon.
Coach Mazurs breathed a sigh of relief, picking up his second career win (six losses).
South Korea extended its undefeated head-to-head record against Saudi Arabia to 7-0.
South Korea took an early lead from the first quarter, propelled by Lee Hyun-jung's scoring prowess from both inside and outside the arc.
In the second quarter, Yu Gi-sang joined the offense with perimeter shooting, while Jang Jae-seok and Yeo Jun-seok added strength in the paint.
About five minutes and 50 seconds into the quarter, Yeo Jun-seok scored two points from the free-throw line to extend the lead to 30-20, establishing a double-digit margin.
South Korea heavily outpaced Saudi Arabia in the first half, leading 13-7 in team assists and 11-3 in fast-break points.
They held the upper hand in both set plays and fast breaks.
South Korea's momentum continued into the third quarter.
Lee Hyun-jung and Ahn Young-jun kept the scoring rolling, while Yeo Jun-seok electrified the crowd with a pair of thrilling dunks midway through the quarter.
Saudi Arabia relied almost exclusively on 208-centimeter center Mohammad Al-Suwailem for its offense.
Another key scorer for Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Ali Abdulrahman, was limited to just 7 points through the third quarter.
South Korea faced a setback when both big men, Jang Jae-seok and Lee Seung-hyun, ran into early foul trouble in the third quarter, forcing the team to start the fourth quarter without them.
The 13-point lead steadily shrank.
Saudi Arabia closed the gap to 7 points at 67-74 following a 3-pointer by Abdulrahman with about two minutes remaining, but that was as close as they would get.
South Korea responded with a jump shot and two free throws by Lee Jeong-hyeon, stretching the lead back to 11 points with about a minute left on the clock.
Lee Hyun-jung delivered a stellar performance, posting a team-high 25 points—including three 3-pointers—and grabbing 9 rebounds.
Yeo Jun-seok contributed 18 points.
Together, Lee Hyun-jung and Yeo Jun-seok poured in a combined 43 points, accounting for more than half of South Korea's total score.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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