The South Korean men's national basketball team wrapped up the group stage of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with a victory in the South Korea-Japan showdown, advancing to the quarterfinals as the top team in Group A with three consecutive wins.

Coached by Nikolais Mazurs (Latvia), South Korea (ranked 57th by FIBA) defeated Japan (ranked 22nd) 100-83 in their final Group A match held today (the 13th) at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan.

Having already secured an early berth in the quarterfinals by winning their opening match against Saudi Arabia on the 10th, which was the South Korean delegation's very first event of the Asian Games, and their second match against Indonesia on the 11th, South Korea subdued the tough opponent Japan to claim first place in Group A with three straight wins.

Japan finished second with two wins and one loss.

In the men's basketball tournament at this event, the first and second-place teams from each group, along with the top two third-place teams based on records, advance to the quarterfinal knockout stage to compete for medals.

The quarterfinals will take place three days later, and the matchups will be finalized later.

Although Japan missed a large number of star players such as Yuki Kawamura, Rui Hachimura, and Yuta Watanabe, it still boasted a formidable roster featuring 211-centimeter naturalized player Alex Kirk as well as mixed-race players Ibu Yamazaki, Avi Koki Schafer, and John Harper.

Starting the first quarter at 19-17 and maintaining a narrow lead in the second, South Korea stretched the gap slightly to 38-31 with about two minutes and twenty seconds remaining when Lee Hyun-jung sank a perimeter shot. However, they subsequently conceded three consecutive three-pointers and uncharacteristically allowed a turnaround, ending the first half trailing 40-42.

Amid a see-saw game that continued into the second half, South Korea faced a setback when Lee Woo-seok was ejected with 3 minutes and 54 seconds left in the third quarter while the score was 55-51.

Lee Woo-seok was handed an unsportsmanlike foul during a contest with Harper, and subsequently received a technical foul, forcing him to leave the court.

South Korea was trailing behind a Japanese side energized by the performances of Harper and Yamazaki, but the savior was KBL regular-season MVP Lee Jeong-hyeon.

Lee Jeong-hyeon narrowed the gap to 62-63 with a three-point play with 1 minute and 39 seconds left in the third quarter, and then turned the game around again at 65-63 by landing a perimeter shot 1 minute and 4 seconds prior.

As Lee Jeong-hyeon exploded with two consecutive three-pointers 35.4 seconds before the end of the third quarter and right before the buzzer, South Korea entered the fourth quarter leading 71-66.

Gaining momentum, South Korea built on a 73-69 score in the fourth quarter with a three-pointer by Yoo Ki-sang and consecutive points from Lee Hyun-jung via a tip-in and a paint shot, widening the gap to 80-69 with about six minutes and thirty seconds remaining to seize control of the match.

With 3 minutes left, Lee Jeong-hyeon created a three-point play with a drive to the basket, followed by a layup from Lee Hyun-jung, pulling away to 91-77 with 2 minutes and 30 seconds remaining and effectively sealing the victory.

Lee Jeong-hyeon delivered a stellar performance with 25 points, including five three-pointers, and 7 assists, while veteran Jang Jae-seok solidly protected the paint with 18 points and 8 rebounds.

Ace Lee Hyun-jung added 16 points and 7 assists.

(Photo: Yonhap News)