Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games:
Iran falls to South Korea in men’s basketball semifinals
Iran’s bid for maiden men’s basketball gold at the Asian Games ended in a 77-51 defeat against South Korea in the semifinals at Nagoya’s Aichi International Arena in Japan on Friday.
A silver medalist in 2014 and 2018, Iran will still have a shot at a fifth medal in six editions of the multi-sport event when Greek head coach Sotiris Manolopoulos’s side takes on Japan or China for a consolation bronze on Sunday.
Lee Hyun-jung led South Korea with an impressive double-double of 26 points and 14 rebounds. He attempted 13 three-pointers, converting seven (54%).
Lee Woo-seok and Lee Jung-hyun contributed 19 and 11 points, respectively, as South Korea remained on course for a first gold medal since beating Iran in the final on home soil at Incheon 2014.
Veteran shooting guard Mohammad Jamshidi, who spearheaded Manolopoulos’s men to a last-eight win over Jordan with 20 points, was the only player in the Iranian outfit to score in double figures, chipping in 12.
Mohammad Heydari had nine points to his name, while team captain Arslan Kazemi finished with eight points and 11 rebounds.
South Korea made the difference from beyond the arc, repeatedly punishing Iran with accurate three-point shooting, making 14 of 33 attempts for a 42% success rate, to take control of the game and leave the Iranian side, which converted only two of its 23 three-point attempts, with little chance of a comeback.
Iran started with a compact defensive setup but fell 6-0 behind after South Korea knocked down two three-pointers in the opening two and a half minutes. Mobin Sheikhi opened Iran’s scoring with two free throws, before Kazemi’s drive and another two-pointer from Sheikhi brought the game level at 6-6.
South Korea, however, caught fire from long range late in the opening quarter, making four three-pointers in the final two minutes to finish the period with a 12-8 lead.
The Koreans opened the second quarter with another three-pointer to stretch their advantage to 11 points. Iran struggled to make inroads against a disciplined South Korean defense, although dunks from Alireza Sharifi and Heydari helped cut the deficit to nine.
Iran’s struggles from beyond the arc proved costly, with its first 12 three-point attempts all missing. Heydari finally ended the drought with a successful shot from long range, but South Korea went into halftime 36-24 ahead.
The Koreans continued their dominance after the break as Choi Jun-young hit consecutive three-pointers to widen the gap. Iran tried to respond by attacking the basket and drawing fouls, but could not change the momentum.
With South Korea extending its lead to 17 points, Lee Hyun-jung then took charge with a series of shots that pushed the advantage to 24. South Korea entered the final quarter with a commanding 61-37 lead.
There was little Iran could do in the closing period as South Korea continued to find the target from three-point range. The final margin reached 26 points as the Koreans sealed a 77-51 victory.