"Are Only the Men Going to Win Gold?" Women's Basketball Erupts for 101 Points, Blasts Indonesia by 42 in 14th Straight Semifinal Appearance [Nagoya Asian Games]

[Financial News] Led by head coach Park Su-ho, the South Korea women's national basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with a formidable scoring display.
South Korea routed Indonesia 101-59, a 42-point victory, in the women's basketball quarterfinals at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on the 24th. After going undefeated in all three group-stage games, South Korea also made a flawless start to the knockout stage. The team will face the winner of Mongolia and China on the 25th for a place in the final.
With the victory, South Korea achieved a landmark 14th consecutive semifinal appearance, having reached the last four in every Asian Games women's basketball tournament since the sport became an official event at the 1974 Tehran Games. After the men's national team won gold for the first time in 12 years, the women's team is also continuing its push to reclaim the Asian Games title for the fifth time overall and for the first time since the 2014 Incheon Games.
Ranked 14th in the world by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), South Korea showed a commanding talent gap against 60th-ranked Indonesia from the opening minutes. South Korea hit six three-pointers in the first quarter alone to take a 28-18 lead. In the second quarter, Heo Ye-eun of Cheongju KB Stars, Hong Yu-sun of the Shinhan Bank S-Birds Women's Basketball Team, and Haeran Lee of Samsung Life Insurance controlled the game both inside and outside, sending South Korea into halftime with a comfortable 52-30 lead.


Early in the second half, South Korea's offense briefly stalled and appeared to allow Indonesia back into the game. But with the score at 59-40 late in the third quarter, South Korea poured in eight straight points to extinguish its opponent's hopes of a comeback. After ending the third quarter 71-43 with a buzzer-beater by Kang Lee-seul of Woori Bank, South Korea comfortably surpassed the 100-point mark in the fourth while freely rotating its bench players.
Most notably, all 12 players on the roster scored in a well-balanced performance. Choi I-saem of BNK Sum led the team with 16 points and five rebounds. JIN AN of Hana Bank added 12 points and six assists, Lee So-hee of BNK Sum scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds, Jeong Hyeon of Hana Bank contributed 12 points, Heo Ye-eun had 11 points and eight assists, and Kang Lee-seul scored 11 points. Six players reached double figures as South Korea completed a dominant victory. Haeran Lee, who missed the final group-stage game because of poor physical condition, played 13 minutes and recorded four points and four rebounds, showing that she is in excellent shape and raising expectations for the upcoming semifinal.


[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter