Korea beats China to reach women's basketball final

Korea advanced to the women’s basketball final after pulling off a come-from-behind victory over China at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Friday, moving a step closer to its first Asiad gold medal in 12 years.

Guard Lee So-hee and forward Lee Hae-ran scored more than 20 points each to help Korea defeat China 85-80 in the semifinals at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan.

In the final set for 7:20 p.m. on Saturday, Korea will meet Japan. The host country beat Chinese Taipei 80-52 in Friday’s second semifinal game.

Coached by Park Soo-ho, Korea is chasing its first gold medal in women’s hoops since 2014 and its fifth overall. The men’s national team won gold here on Sunday.

In the first quarter, Korea’s forwards struggled to get past China’s 220-centimeter (7-foot, 2.6-inch) center Zhang Ziyu and ended two points down at 19-17.

The gap widened to 41-36 in the second quarter, as Korea had difficulty finding its range from three-point territory.

Some timely 3-pointers helped Korea stay in a seesaw battle in the third quarter.

After entering the fourth quarter down 65-61, Korea mounted a dramatic comeback, relying heavily on 3-pointers.

Captain Kang Lee-seul hit a 3-pointer to give Korea a 70-69 lead, and Lee Hae-ran’s 3-pointer extended the lead to 78-74, with the team maintaining the momentum to seal the victory.

Lee So-hee scored a game-high 23 points, including five 3-pointers, and grabbed six rebounds. Lee Hae-ran added 22 points and six rebounds.

Captain Kang scored 16 points and made two shots from behind the arc.

Yonhap