Korean basketball player Lee Hyun-jung plays against Jordan during the 2026 Asian Games quarterfinal in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 16.NEWS1
NAGOYA, Japan — Korea defeated Jordan 114-80 on Wednesday to advance to the men's basketball semifinals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026, its fourth straight win of the tournament.
Lee Hyun-jung led Korea in the quarterfinal at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, with 28 points, nine rebounds and five assists despite playing just 20 minutes. He made six 3-pointers. Yu Ki-sang added 16 points, while Lee Jung-hyun scored 12.
Eddie Daniel scored with 29.4 seconds left in the fourth quarter to put all 12 Korean players on the scoresheet. Korea will face the winner of the Iran-Bahrain quarterfinal in the semifinals on Friday.
Jordan won silver at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. The team barely reached the quarterfinals this time after it finished third in its group with a 1-2 record. Still, Jordan entered the tournament at No. 41 in the FIBA world rankings, 16 places above No. 57 Korea.
Jordan's roster also features naturalized American players Dar Tucker and Perrin Buford. Abdullah Olajuwon, son of NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon, also plays for the team, although Olajuwon did not suit up for the game, apparently due to injury.
But despite Jordan's seeming advantage on paper, the game was far more one-sided — in Team Korea's favor — than expected.
Moon Jeong-hyeon opened the scoring off an assist from Byeon Jun-hyeong 1 minute and 26 seconds into the game. Lee Jeong-hyeon followed with a 3-pointer. Lee Hyun-jung then added a putback and three free throws to give Korea a 10-0 lead after just three minutes.
Jordan struggled from the field. Korea's shots were not falling consistently either, but Korea grabbed more than twice as many rebounds and steadily widened the gap.
Korean basketball player Yeo Jun-seok dunks against Jordan during the men's basketball quarterfinal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 16.YONHAP
Jang Jae-seok completed a three-point play late in the first quarter to give Korea a 28-8 lead after the opening period.
Team Korea pulled even further ahead in the second quarter. A Jordanian player fouled Korea on a fast break, and Korea's bench requested a video review. Officials upgraded the call to an unsportsmanlike foul. Yu made both free throws to put Korea ahead 37-11.
Yeo Jun-seok returned to action after a foot injury kept him out of the quarterfinal against Japan. Choi Jun-yong, who joined the team late as he prepares for a move to the United States, also took the court.
Yeo threw down an alley-oop dunk off a pass from Lee Jeong-hyeon, while Choi hit a 3-pointer. Korea rotated through its roster and went into halftime with a 51-27 lead.
Korean basketball player Lee Hyun-jung gestures after making a 3-pointer against Jordan in the Asian Games quarterfinal at Aichi International Arena, in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 16.YONHAP
Korea remained firmly in control in the second half.
Jordan tried to generate offense through Tucker and Fadi Mustafa, but Korea's defense kept the pair in check. Korea continued to dominate the boards. Later, Lee Hyun-jung buried a deep 3-pointer to stretch Korea's lead to 40 points, at 84-44.
Korea then rested its starters in the fourth quarter to conserve their energy for the semifinal. Jordan cut the deficit late, but the result had already been long decided.
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.
