Lee Ha-ran Hangs Head After Defeat to Japan: "My Performance Was Worth 30 Points"

Lee Ha-ran of the South Korean women's national basketball team bowed her head, expressing deep regret after a heavy defeat in their first-ever away friendly match in Japan.

Led by head coach Park Su-ho, South Korea lost 59-77, an 18-point margin, against Japan in the friendly match held at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo on the 13th.

Speaking through the Korea Basketball Association after the match, Lee reflected, "It is very disappointing that we could not properly execute the style of play we wanted as a team."

She continued, "Win or lose, we should have played our own game, but we failed to do so and continuously allowed Japan to dictate the pace. Whenever we tried to narrow the score gap, the deficit widened again in a repeating cycle, so we ultimately failed to swing the momentum back."

This marks the first time the South Korean national team has played an away friendly match against Japan on enemy soil.

Although South Korea holds a dominant 47-22 advantage in the all-time head-to-head record against Japan, the team fell into a six-game losing streak in matchups against Japan with this loss.

Lee fought hard on the court, logging a team-high approximately 30 minutes of playing time and recording 12 points and 5 rebounds.

It was also Lee who revived the sinking atmosphere by scoring a three-pointer when the team was struggling listlessly from the start in a 0-14 deficit.

Despite her isolated efforts, Lee gave a harsh self-assessment of her performance on this day, rating it at "30 points."

She self-evaluated, saying, "There were complacent or unnecessary plays, and we failed to properly time when to step up and when to receive passes, leaving a lot to reflect on. I regret not pushing forward a bit more aggressively."

Having tasted a bitter 18-point defeat, the team still has an immediate opportunity for redemption.

South Korea, operating with a tight squad of 11 available players in the absence of key assets Park Ji-su and Park Ji-hyun, will play their second match against Japan at the same venue on the 14th.

Lee expressed her determination, stating, "What we do best are fast breaks and three-pointers, and Japan's playing style is similar to ours. If we push the transition fast and strong and ride the team momentum, we can play our own game. I want to show a much better performance tomorrow."

Meanwhile, Lee So-hee, who recorded a team-high 13 points by sinking 3 out of 4 three-point attempts, pointed to the early loss in the battle of nerves as the cause of the defeat.

Lee So-hee analyzed, "The opponent came out much tougher than we expected, so we were overwhelmed in the beginning, and that is why the score gap widened so drastically."

She added, "This is our first time playing the Japanese national team since the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, and I strongly felt that they are indeed a team with intense pressure."

(Photo courtesy of the Japan Basketball Association, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.