The Korean men’s basketball team won the away game in Japan with a huge energy level.
The South Korean men’s basketball team won 85-84 in its first warm-up match against the Japanese national team at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on the 5th.
South Korea’s Lee Jung-hyun (27 points, 6 3-pointers, 4 assists) and Byun Jun-hyung (12 points) led the attack, while Ha Yoon-ki (15 points, 7 rebounds) also secured a valuable victory by defending under the basket. 파워볼사이트
Japan chased Josh Hawkinson (17 points and 9 rebounds) and Yuki Kawamura (23 points) until the end, but their last-minute concentration was disappointing.
The first quarter was fiercely contested as if it were a match of destiny. The first team that gained momentum was Japan. Japan scored consecutive goals thanks to consecutive three-point shots by Makoto Hiejima and breaking point by Yuki Kawamura.
Korea also did not easily back down. Byun Joon-hyung’s three-point shot cut off the opponent’s flow, and Yang Jae-min and Oh Jae-hyun scored consecutive breakthrough points to catch up.
Since then, the first quarter of the two teams, which continued their frustrating trend without three-point shots, ended with Japan leading 15-13.
Early in the second quarter, Japan seemed to take the lead with consecutive 3-pointers by Tokashi and Hiejima, but Korea also countered with outer shots. Starting with Yoo Ki-sang’s successful free throws and three-pointers by Lee Jung-hyun and Moon Jung-hyun, Lee Woo-suk and Ha Yoon-ki also joined the scoring race, widening the gap in an instant.
Japan seemed to be chasing after Kawamura with a three-point shot, but it was not enough to dampen the momentum of Korea, which boosted its energy. Korea ended the first half with a 46-35 lead by combining Lee Woo-suk’s three-point play and Ha Yoon-ki’s alley-oop play.
Japan, which has become a chaser, faced the second half with Hawkinson’s floater score, but the shooters’ outer shots still did not explode and continued to be frustrating.
While Japan faltered, Korea began to run away. Starting with Ha Yoon-ki’s mid-range shot, Byeon Jun-hyung’s fastball score and Lee Jung-hyun’s shower 3-pointer completely dampened the momentum.
Japan then tried to change the atmosphere through Tominaga’s free throws and breakthrough scores, but South Korea countered with Oh Jae-hyun’s putback score. Japan did not provide scoring support from other sides except Tominaga, and South Korea boosted its momentum with Byun Joon-hyung’s 3-point shot and Ha Yoon-ki’s putback dunk.
Two seconds before the end of the third quarter, Korea turned the stadium into a library when Ha Yoon-ki dunked in a fastball. Korea had a generous lead of 72-52 at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter of the match, Japan began to chase after Japan for the last time. Japan elevated the mood by combining scores by Yudai Baba and Hawkinson and three-point plays by Kawamura.
Korea did not easily back down either. Lee Jung-hyun made a 3-pointer to cut off the opponent’s flow, and Yoo Ki-sang also made a 3-pointer to maintain the gap.
However, Japan scored zero due to the 3-pointer, and successfully pursued the team. Kawamura, the leader of charge, shook Korea’s bottom of the net to create chances, and Akira Jacobs made consecutive 3-pointers, narrowing the gap to single digits.
The panicked Korean players failed to produce consecutive points, and Kawamura produced his own 3-pointer and chased under the chin 80-79 with an assist to Hawkinson’s breakthrough score. Kawamura continued to generate points and made a comeback (82-84) through free throws with 36 seconds left in the game.
However, South Korea did not give up until the end and made a tie-breaking mid-range shot, followed by Ha Yoon-ki making a free throw to end the victory again.