▲ South Korean players celebrate their 101-59 victory over Indonesia in the women's basketball quarterfinals at the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium in Nagoya, Japan, on September 24.
The South Korean women's basketball national team has advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after defeating Indonesia.
The women's national team, led by head coach Suho, defeated Indonesia 101-59 in the Asian Games quarterfinals held at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on September 24.
With this victory, South Korea advanced to the semifinals scheduled for September 25.
Their opponent will be the winner of the Mongolia-China match taking place later that day.
South Korea has reached the final four in every edition of the Asian Games since women's basketball was first introduced at the 1974 Tehran Games.
Except for a fourth-place finish at the 2006 Doha Games, South Korea has won a medal every time, including a silver medal won by the unified inter-Korean team in 2018.
At this tournament, the team is pursuing its fifth Asian Games gold medal overall, following victories in 1978, 1990, 1994, and 2014.
Expectations for a joint gold medal sweep have also grown after the men's basketball national team claimed the top spot for the first time in 12 years.
The women's national team cruised through the group stage by consecutively defeating Malaysia, Mongolia, and Taiwan to finish first in Group C with three straight wins, and continued their smooth run by decisively beating Indonesia in their first knockout match.
South Korea, ranked 14th in the FIBA world rankings—far higher than Indonesia (60th)—and holding a perfect 5-0 record in previous head-to-head matches, relatively easily navigated the game thanks to the early momentum of Sohee (BNK), who has been showing sharp scoring form in this tournament.
Leading 17-11 in the first quarter, Kang Lee-seul (Woori Bank) and Huh Yewon (KB) hit consecutive 3-pointers to extend the lead to 23-11 with about two and a half minutes remaining, and Lee Sem (BNK) also sank an outside shot to make it 26-13.
Exploding with six 3-pointers in the first quarter alone to lead 28-18, South Korea extended its lead further in the middle of the second quarter through a layup by Huh Yewon, an inside shot by Hong Youshin (Shinhan Bank) following a steal by Huh, and a drive by Lee Ha-ran (Samsung Life Insurance) to build a 46-25 advantage, finishing the first half ahead 52-30.
In the second half, South Korea went scoreless for about the first three minutes and allowed a chase as their concentration in defense and rebounding wavered.
However, they regained their momentum late in the third quarter, rattling off eight straight points from a 59-40 lead to pull away comfortably, and closed out the quarter at 71-43 with a buzzer-beater by Kang Lee-seul.
South Korea started the fourth quarter with 7 consecutive points combined by Jin An (Hana Bank), Lee Sem, and Jung Hyun (Hana Bank), firmly securing the victory early and preparing for the semifinals to be held the following day.
All 12 players on the roster scored for South Korea in this match.
Lee Sem contributed evenly with 16 points and 5 rebounds, Jin An with 12 points and 6 assists, Sohee with 12 points and 5 rebounds, Jung Hyun with 12 points, Huh Yewon with 11 points and 8 assists, and Kang Lee-seul with 11 points.
Forward Lee Ha-ran, who sat out the final group match due to poor conditioning, played about 13 minutes and recorded 4 points and 4 rebounds.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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