The men’s basketball team, led by head coach Ahn Joon-ho, lost 80-88 to Japan in the second round of the 2024 Softbank Cup at 7:30 p.m. on the 7th at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
Earlier, the Korean team garnered a new 85-84 victory in the first round on Saturday, sending shockwaves throughout the game. Korea formed its own young squad with an average age of 24.1 years, but the team threatened Japan with plays banking on its athletic ability. More than anything else, it sank the Japanese national team, which will compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics, drawing keen attention from all players. However, in the second round, the team failed to come from behind after giving up the lead midway through the second quarter. It was regrettable that the team fell sharply to 24-44 in rebounding.
Lee Jung-hyun, who scored 27 points in the first match, scored 26 points and five assists and three steals on the day. Lee Won-seok scored 18 points, and Yoo Ki-sang scored 17 points, including five three-point shots. 슬롯사이트 순위
In Japan, big man Josh Hawkinson dominated the game with 34 points and 14 rebounds. Yuki Kawamura also displayed outstanding performances with 17 points and 9 assists. Rui Hachimura of the Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Watanabe of the Memphis Grizzlies were absent due to poor condition and calf injury, respectively.
Korea opened the scoring with a layup by Lee Woo-suk, who got a pass from Lee at the beginning of the first quarter. Lee and Lee continued to score points by banking on their offense. Lee also hit his signature long-range three-point shot. Japan, in turn, aimed at Korea under the basket by banking on Josh Hawkinson’s height. In response, Korea even confronted Japan by presenting various defense strategies.
At the end of the first quarter, Lee successfully made consecutive attempts under the basket. He also completed a bold layup and end-one play against Kawamata Koya. Having failed in the final attack, Korea ended the first quarter with a three-point lead.
In the attack, the field goal success rate exceeded 60%, but the only regret was that he continued to donate offensive rebounds and allowed pursuit.
In the beginning of the second quarter, Lee Jung-hyun’s surprise 3-point shot in front of him also opened the door. As the opponent’s pursuit continued, Moon Jung-hyun started running away again, completing an end-one play. Yoo Ki-sang showed off his outstanding shooting sense by hitting three consecutive 3-pointers.
However, after the halfway point, turnovers began to pile up, leading to Japan’s pursuit. In the end, Hirota Yoshii scored under the basket with two minutes left, allowing the team to come from behind by hitting the ball on the day. When Korea remained silent for nearly five minutes, Yu Ki-sang again closed the gap by scoring his fourth 3-pointer. Japan led 43-39 at the end of the second quarter.
Early in the third quarter, Kawamura Yuki led the attack by hitting back-to-back 3-pointers. Josh Hawkinson widened the gap by gaining the upper hand in matchups with Lee Won-seok and Ha Yoon-ki.
With less sense of shooting, Korea gained a foothold in its pursuit of free throws thanks to opponent teams’ fouls. With 3:24 left to go, however, Ha Yoon-ki collided with Hawkinson and left the court after complaining of ankle pain. Instead, Lee scored free throws, taking responsibility for successive attacks.
However, Korea struggled in the opponent team’s defense of Switch. Lee Woo-suk’s mid-range shot, which was the last in the quarter, also hit the rim. Japan ended the third quarter with 11 points in the lead.
Having opted for a small lineup, Korea again began its pursuit with Lee Jung-hyun’s 3-pointer to the right-center field following a successful defense. However, it was not easy to fill Ha Yoon-ki’s void. Yuki Kawamura easily ran away by targeting Korea’s bottom of the net.
Korea again closed the gap to single digits with back-to-back 3-pointers by Lee Jung-hyun and Yoo Ki-sang at the end of the quarter. But even Lee left the court for a foul play. Lee scored his fifth three-pointer, but Korea’s pursuit ended in an end. Japan avenged its loss in the first round with an eight-point victory.