[Asian Games] Men's Basketball Suffers Heavy Defeat to China... Fails to Reach Semifinals for the First Time in 17 Years

On the 3rd, at the Olympic Sports Center in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, the men's basketball quarterfinals of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games took place between South Korea and China. In the 2nd quarter, South Korea's Lee Seung-hyun is contesting an airborne ball with China's Zhang Zhelin.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The South Korean men's basketball team failed to advance to the semifinals for the first time in 17 years since the 2006 Doha Asian Games after losing to China in the quarterfinals of the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Led by head coach Chu Il-seung, the team lost 70-84 to host nation China in the men's basketball quarterfinal held on the 3rd at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Zhejiang Province, China.

As a result, South Korea, which had claimed to be the powerhouse of Asia, was eliminated in the quarterfinals for the first time since the 2006 Doha Asian Games, suffering a blow to its pride.

Earlier, the team lost 77-83 to Japan, considered a lower-ranked opponent, in the group stage match on the 30th of last month, failing to secure a direct spot in the quarterfinals.

After playing a playoff match against Bahrain to decide the quarterfinalists the previous afternoon, the team faced the host nation China just 14 hours later.

China had secured three wins in the group stage and had ample rest since the 30th of last month, so difficulties for the South Korean team were anticipated even before the game.

In fact, during the game, the South Korean team was outperformed by China in terms of activity from the start and fell behind. They were significantly outmatched in most game statistics, including rebounds (36-44), assists (11-20), steals (5-10), and field goal percentage (38% - 51%).

After the game, Coach Chu said at a press conference, "This has been a personally humiliating tournament," adding, "I apologize to the fans who support basketball. I believe it is my duty to finish strong to repay their support."

The team's key guard Heo Hoon (Sangmu) said, "We should have finished well since it was our own fault. That part is regrettable," adding, "The opponents were taller and technically very skilled. Our players need to work harder and improve."

The team will play a classification match against Iran at 5 p.m. Korean time on the 4th. If they win this game, they will advance to the 5th place match scheduled for 5 p.m. on the 6th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.