Inspired Lee Jeong-hyeon Leads Resounding Victory Over Archrival Japan to Reach Quarterfinals

[Anchor]

The men's national basketball team, seeking its first Asian Games victory in 12 years at the Nagoya Asian Games, defeated its archrival Japan to advance to the quarterfinals as the top seed in its group. Professional basketball MVP Lee Jeong-hyeon led the victory by pouring in 25 points.

Reporter Choi Hee Jin has the details.

[Reporter]

Facing a young Japanese squad missing its elite NBA players, the national team grabbed an early lead, spearheaded by Lee Jeong-hyeon, who showed a sensational shooting touch.

Lee successfully knocked down consecutive three-pointers and also fueled his teammates' scoring with sharp passes.

Nineteen-year-old youngest player Eddie Daniel also injected energy into the team with his signature tenacious play on both offense and defense.

However, late in the second quarter, defensive organization faltered, allowing Japan to hit three straight three-pointers and take the lead.

As the tight game continued into the late third quarter, the team faced a setback when Lee Woo-seok was ejected for a rough foul using his elbows. Yet, in the moment of crisis, Lee Jeong-hyeon soared again.

He reeled off three consecutive three-pointers with a blistering touch, and his roar after sinking a three-point buzzer-beater right at the end of the third quarter was the absolute highlight.

Powered by Lee Jeong-hyeon's one-man show, the national team regained control and maintained its lead into the fourth quarter. A final three-point buzzer-beater by Moon Yu-won rounded out 100 points, sealing a resounding 17-point victory over Japan.

Having suffered the humiliation of losing both away exhibition matches by more than 20 points during the Liberation Day week last month, the national team avenged those defeats on away soil exactly a month later. Sweeping through with three straight wins, the team passed the group stage as the top seed in Group A and is set to play its quarterfinal match on the 16th.

[Video Editing: Hwang Ji-young]
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.