A Fourth-Quarter Comeback Brings Down the 220cm 'Great Wall' ... South Korea Women's Basketball Team to Face Japan in Final After 32 Years [Nagoya AG]

[Financial News] South Korea women's national basketball team dramatically brought down China's 'Great Wall' and moved within one win of reclaiming the Asian Games women's basketball title for the first time in 12 years. Following the men's team, which has already won gold, the women's team will pursue a joint men's and women's triumph after 12 years.
South Korea, led by head coach Park Su-ho, defeated China 85-80 in a thrilling comeback in the women's basketball semifinal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, held on the 25th at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, advancing to the final.
With at least a silver medal secured, South Korea will seek to reclaim the Asian Games title 12 years after winning gold at the 2014 Incheon Games. Its final opponent will be archrival Japan, which routed Taiwan 80-52 in the other semifinal.
South Korea and Japan will now face off for the gold medal at 7:20 p.m. on the 26th at the same venue. The last Korea-Japan matchup in a women's basketball Asian Games final came at the 1994 Hiroshima Games, when South Korea won 77-76, making this the first such final in 32 years. The men's basketball team had earlier won the first-ever Korea-Japan matchup in an Asian Games final to claim the title. If the women's team also wins, South Korean basketball will achieve the feat of both its men's and women's teams winning gold medals for the first time since 2014, 12 years ago.
The victory ended South Korea's losing streak against China, which had continued since the Tokyo Olympic qualifiers in November 2019. South Korea, ranked 14th by the International Basketball Federation, earned a valuable win over seventh-ranked China for the first time in seven years.
The game unfolded as a fierce seesaw battle throughout. South Korea struggled in the first half to contain China's tallest center, Zhang Ziyu, who stands over 220 centimeters and finished with 22 points and seven rebounds, trailing 36-41 at halftime. Led by three-point shots from Lee So-hee of Busan BNK Sum and Heo Ye-eun of Cheongju KB Stars, South Korea mounted a strong comeback in the third quarter but entered the fourth trailing 61-65.
The game was decided by South Korea's composure late in the fourth quarter. Captain Kang Lee-seul of Woori Bank hit consecutive three- and two-point shots to put South Korea ahead 70-69. In a back-and-forth battle, Lee Hae-ran of Samsung Life Insurance drained a three-pointer with 2:37 remaining, followed by a decisive three-pointer from Lee So-hee with 1:50 left, giving South Korea an 81-76 lead.
China mounted a late push and pulled within 81-80 with 9.1 seconds remaining. However, Lee Hae-ran and Lee So-hee calmly converted all the free throws awarded after an unsportsmanlike foul (U-foul), putting the finishing touches on an 85-80 comeback victory.
Lee So-hee led all players with 23 points and six rebounds, including five three-pointers, to become the driving force behind the victory. Lee Hae-ran added 22 points and six rebounds, while Kang Lee-seul contributed 16 points. Point guard Heo Ye-eun also played the role of field general perfectly, scoring nine points with nine assists and three three-pointers. 

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