Korea beats Saudi Arabia to keep 2027 World Cup hopes alive
Lee Hyun-jung scored 25 points as Korea topped Saudi Arabia 85-72 to snap a three-game losing streak and revive its 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifying campaign.
Yeo Jun-seok of Korea dunks during a 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifier against Saudi Arabia at Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on Aug. 31.YONHAP
Korea beat Saudi Arabia 85-72 at home on Monday to end a three-game losing streak and keep alive its hopes of reaching the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Free agent forward Lee Hyun-jung scored a team-high 25 points, including three 3-pointers, and added nine rebounds and six assists at Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena. Seattle University forward Yeo Jun-seok contributed 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting. The pair's combined 43 points was more than half of Korea's total.
Korea led by as many as 17 points in the third quarter. Center Mohammed Alsuwailem scored 31 points with 13 rebounds on 11-of-13 shooting for Saudi Arabia.
The result was Korea's first win of the second qualifying round, which lifted it to 4-4 overall, with first-round results carrying over.
Korea sits fifth in the six-team Group F after Japan and China won later on Monday, behind Lebanon, Japan, China and Qatar. However, Qatar's ranking does not affect Korea. As the host country, Qatar qualifies automatically. While it plays in the qualifiers, it is left out of the final standings, which leaves Korea fourth among the teams still chasing berths.
Twelve teams remain in the Asian qualifiers, split between Groups E and F. Seven will reach the World Cup and join Qatar. The top three in each group qualify, along with the better of the two fourth-place finishers.
Jang Jae-seok of Korea shoots during a 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifier against Saudi Arabia at Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on Aug. 31.NEWS1
Korea came into Monday having lost two road friendlies against Japan in Tokyo and then posting a 93-74 away loss to Lebanon in its second-round opener Thursday. The win over Saudi Arabia improved Latvian head coach Nikolajs Mazurs's record to 2-6 since taking charge, counting friendlies. Korea has now won all seven meetings between the two countries.
Korea resumes qualifying with an away game against Qatar on Nov. 26. Before that it hosts the Philippines for friendlies on Friday and Sunday, again at Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena.
Those two games will be Korea's last tuneups for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan. The men's basketball tournament starts Sept. 10, with Korea drawn in Group A against Japan, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia.
Korea's players walk off the court after their 85-72 win over Saudi Arabia in a 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifier at Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on Aug. 31.NEWS1
Korea played at the 1998 World Cup in Greece, then went 16 years without qualifying before returning in 2014 and again in 2019. It missed the 2023 tournament after the Korea Basketball Association decided not to travel to the Philippines for a qualifying opportunity during a Covid-19 pandemic outbreak in February 2022, which brought forfeits and disqualification.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
