Inspired Lee Jeong-hyeon Powers Men's Basketball Team Past Archrival Japan into Quarterfinals

[Anchor]

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

Reporter Choi Hee Jin has the details.

[Reporter]

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

Lee consecutively sank three-pointers and assisted 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 fractured, allowing Japan to hit three consecutive three-pointers and take the lead.

In the late third quarter, amid a tight contest, a setback occurred when Lee Woo-seok was ejected for a rough foul using his elbow, but in the moment of crisis, Lee Jeong-hyeon soared once again.

He unleashed three consecutive three-pointers with a possessed touch, and the highlight was his roar after sinking a buzzer-beating three-pointer right at the end of the third quarter.

Fueled by Lee Jeong-hyeon's one-man show, the national team reclaimed momentum and maintained its lead into the fourth quarter, eventually securing a 17-point landslide victory over Japan capped off by Moon Yu-won's buzzer-beating three-pointer that brought the team's score to 100.

Having suffered the humiliation of losing by more than 20 points in both away friendly matches held during Liberation Day week last month, the national team exacted revenge on enemy territory exactly a month later. With three consecutive wins, they passed the group stage as the leaders of Group A and are set to play their quarterfinal match on the 16th.

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