The South Korean men’s basketball team, looking to win its first Asian Games gold medal in nine years, won its first game against Indonesia by 40 points. The South Koreans were able to get all 11 players on the floor, with the exception of Ha Yun-ki, who had a sore ankle, to score.
South Korea, led by head coach Chu Il-seung, defeated Indonesia 95-55 in the first game of Group D of the men’s basketball competition at the Hangzhou Asian Games at Zhejiang University Zijinjiang Gymnasium in Hangzhou, 온라인카지노 Zhejiang province, China, on Saturday. Heo Hoon scored a game-high 20 points in just 11 minutes on the court. Kim Jong-kyu scored 19 points on a hot streak that saw him make all eight of his free throws.
After winning a jump ball, Korea started the game fresh with a three-pointer by Yang Hong-seok off a pass from Heo. From 3-3, they scored 12 straight points to take control of the game and end the first quarter with a 20-8 lead. South Korea continued to build on its lead, keeping the score within 10 points in each quarter. Indonesia was led by Saputera Yuda (15 points), but it was not enough to break through the Korean defense.
Korea shot 51% from the field to outperform Indonesia (28%). They outrebounded Indonesia in 3-pointers, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. Of Korea’s 95 points, 41 came from non-starters, giving Chu the luxury of playing a lot of players evenly. With the exception of Lee Jung-hyun (23:20), all players split between 11 and 15 minutes to get acclimated to the court.
South Korea will be looking for its first gold medal in nine years at the tournament, having won the title in Incheon in 2014. Kim Sun-hyung and Ra Gun-ah will be crucial. Indonesia has not been categorized as a strong team, but it would be significant for Korea to win their first match. “No matter how experienced you are, you’re always nervous in the first game of a big tournament,” said Yang Dong-geun, coach of Ulsan Hyundai Mobis, who won gold in Incheon. “You can’t ignore ‘momentum’ in short-term international competitions.” South Korea will face Qatar on Nov. 28 and Japan on Nov. 30.