“A Rain of 3-Pointers”: South Korea Women’s Basketball Rout Taiwan for Perfect 3-0 Run, Secure Quarterfinal Berth [Nagoya Asian Games]

[Financial News] The men carved out the path to gold. Now it is the women’s turn to put the finishing touch on it. South Korea’s women’s national basketball team completed the group stage with a perfect 3-0 record, accelerating toward a joint Asian Games title for the first time in 12 years.
South Korea’s women’s national basketball team, led by head coach Park Soo-ho, defeated Taiwan 73-59 in the third Group C game of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on the 22nd. After dispatching Malaysia and Mongolia in succession, South Korea secured its third straight win and confidently advanced to the quarterfinals as the Group C winner.
The defining feature of the game was unquestionably South Korea’s firepower. Lee Hae-ran of Samsung Life Insurance, one of the team’s key players, missed the game because she was not in peak condition, but those concerns proved unfounded. South Korea’s outside shooting heated up from the opening minutes. Choi I-saem of Busan BNK Sum and Kang Leeseul of Woori Bank combined for a potent scoring punch in the first quarter, giving South Korea a 20-17 lead. In the second quarter, South Korea relentlessly capitalized on Taiwan’s turnovers and stretched the margin to double digits. The team took 12 three-point attempts in the first half and made seven of them, building a 42-29 lead and seizing control early.

South Korea’s offensive pressure remained fierce after halftime. Near the end of the third quarter, Choi I-saem received a pinpoint pass from Heo Ye-eun of KB STARS and hit another three-pointer, extending the lead to 54-34. It was a thrilling moment that appeared to leave Taiwan virtually ready to raise the white flag.
But complacency is dangerous in sports. Taiwan launched a fierce comeback in the fourth quarter as South Korea’s pressure eased somewhat. With South Korea’s offensive focus wavering, the lead quickly narrowed to 68-59, creating a tense situation as Taiwan pulled within single digits. It was a critical moment in which the entire momentum could have shifted.
Heo Ye-eun and Choi I-saem once again stepped up as the finishers. The two combined for five straight points, dousing Taiwan’s hopes of a comeback and putting the game out of reach. Choi I-saem led the way with 17 points, while five players scored in double figures. South Korea completed the victory by showcasing the essence of powerful team basketball without relying on any single player.
Attention now turns to the major goal of winning joint gold medals for the first time in 12 years. On the 20th, South Korea’s men’s team defeated archrival Japan to win gold, 12 years after the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. The women’s team is also determined to reclaim the top spot in Asia 12 years after the event in Incheon.
South Korea’s women’s national basketball team has completed its perfect warm-up by advancing from the group stage with three straight wins. Can the team make the national anthem ring out once again in Nagoya, Japan? The decisive quarterfinal on the road to gold will take place on the 24th. The matchup will be determined later, but given their current momentum, South Korea appears to have nothing to fear from any opponent.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter