Lee Hae-ran drives against Japan during an exhibition game at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on Aug. 13. Korea lost 77-59.NEWS1
Korea's women's national basketball team lost two games in a row against Japan. During the second game on Friday, Korea led for almost the entire contest but lost 78-77 to Japan after shooting guard Kokoro Tanaka hit a 3-pointer in the final second.
Japan completed a two-game sweep at Ariake Arena in Tokyo after winning the opener 77-59 on Thursday. Korea, under head coach Park Soo-ho, controlled most of the rematch before Tanaka overturned it in the closing seconds.
Korea played without center Park Ji-su of the Cheongju KB Stars, who is rehabilitating after ankle surgery, alongside guard Park Ji-hyun of the Los Angeles Sparks, who was also unavailable.
Korea head coach Park Soo-ho watches his players during an exhibition game against Japan at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on Aug. 13.JAPAN BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Korea took control early anyway, with tight defense and five 3-pointers in the first quarter for a 22-9 lead. Heo Ye-eun opened the scoring from deep, and Lee Hae-ran, Kang Lee-seul and Choi I-saem followed from beyond the arc. Japan cut into the margin in the second quarter, but Lee and Choi helped Korea take a 45-35 lead into halftime.
Korea pushed the lead to 13 points in the third behind Jin An, Heo and Lee. Heo then hurt her leg in a collision and left the game, and Jin fouled out with 18 seconds left in the quarter. Japan closed the gap to 61-54 entering the fourth.
Korea's women's national basketball team poses for a photo before an exhibition game against Japan at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on Aug. 13.JAPAN BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Japan took its first lead with 4:58 remaining when Tanaka converted a 3-point play for 68-67. Kang answered with a 3-pointer 15 seconds later, and baskets from Choi, Lee and Kang moved Korea ahead 76-72 with just over a minute left.
Tanaka struck twice more from long range. She cut the deficit to 76-75 with 13.6 seconds remaining, and Hong Yu-sun made one of two free throws with 9.6 seconds on the clock for a 77-75 edge. Tanaka then buried another 3-pointer in the final second to give Japan the win.
Kang led Korea with 20 points, five rebounds and four 3-pointers. Lee finished with 17 points and five rebounds, Choi scored 13 and Jin had nine points and six rebounds. Heo recorded eight points and six assists before leaving the game. Tanaka, born in 2006, scored 18 for Japan.
Korea's players high-five during an exhibition game against Japan at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on Aug. 13. Korea lost 77-59.JAPAN BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
The series was Korea's last competitive test before a heavy September.
September opens the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup in Berlin from Sept. 4 to 13, where it meets France, Nigeria and Hungary in Group B, and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games women's basketball competition follows from Sept. 17 to 26.
BY LEE HAY-JUNE [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]
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.
