JEDDAH (Saudi Arabia) - Lee Hyunjung provided the stabilizing presence Korea badly needed to withstand Qatar, 97-83, and net their first win in the FIBA Asia Cup 2025, Friday at the King Abdullah Sports City.
The star winger scored eight of their last 11 points, including a pair of three-point play completions to power the strong windup after their foes cut what was once a 21-point lead to just five, 85-80, with 3:05 left.
He then went on to cap off his clutch performance by going perfect from the free throw line with 29.9 seconds left, settling the final count as they got themselves a victory after bowing to Australia the last time out.
Lee finished with 24 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, highlighted by a brace of triples, alongside 7 rebounds and 4 assists plus a steal and a block in 28 minutes to net an efficiency of 27.
"I wouldn't be able to do my job if they wouldn't do their jobs," said Lee, deflecting the credit to his teammates. "They're focusing on me on defense so I was trying to help them set screens, rebounding, hustle plays."
"But without them, we wouldn't be able to win," he added.
His heroics also preserved the efforts of Yu Kisang and Yeo Junseok after the tandem took turns in inflicting damage during the middle quarters, enabling the squad to erect a big lead before the Qataris rallied back.
Yu fired 24 points behind a 7-of-12 clip from three, working his magic during the third canto as he sustained the Koreans' impressive second-quarter spearheaded by the incoming Seattle University forward in Yeo.
Yeo, on the other hand, had 22 points, all of which he made in the first half. He could've added more to his tally but a minor discomfort on his knee prompted the coaching staff to sit him out for the remainder of the match.
"He was feeling a little uncomfortable on his knee, so to protect the player we decided to rest him for the second half," Korea head coach An Joonho said. "I think he'll be OK for the next game."
Lee Junghyun added 12 points, including the free throws that sparked their 11-3 run to close the game out. Ha Yungi provided a significant contribution with his 6 points and a game-high 10 rebounds
Now, Korea will shift their attention to Lebanon, whom they will face on Sunday at 18:00 local time - hoping, of course, to sustain their winning ways to bolster their chances of reaching the Quarter-Finals.
Brandon Goodwin, meanwhile, had 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists to lead Qatar, which fell to their second loss in as many outings. Abdulrahman Saad and Zineeddine Bedri backed him up with 15 and 14, respectively.
The loss has pushed the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 hosts to a must-win situation against the defending two-time champions Australia on Sunday as well at 11:00 local time in arguably their biggest test yet.
FIBA