AHMEDABAD (India) - Korea and Japan posted big wins one after the other as Group D teams finally hit the ground running in the FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2026 on Friday night at the Veer Savarkar Indoor Stadium.
The 4-time champions broke away in the middle quarters before dealing Kazakhstan a 95-68 whipping before the Japanese did exactly the same thing toward crushing hosts India, 91-56, to close out the gameday.
Yoon Jihoon starred for the Koreans with 21 points and 12 assists. He scored 9 in the second chapter alone before facilitating their 33-point eruption in the third for the 72-48 lead before cruising to the 27-point W.
But it was actually a balanced attack from the 2022 champions, with four more players finishing in double figures. Yoon Jiwon, for one, notched a double-double of his own with 16 & 10, which he laced with 6 assists.
Heo Geonwoo supplied 11 points and 9 rebounds while Eom Jihoo added 10 as a total of 10 players contributed at least 2 points in the triumph, thanks to their conscious effort to move the ball as proven by their 31 assists.
The CABA representatives received 17 points plus 7 rebounds from Sayan Mamutov and a triple-double - the second in this tournament alone - from Darim Sultanov with 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists.
In the final game of the night, Japan received solid performances from its key quartet, led by Kenichiro Benedict with a game-high 20 points in a solid showing to highlight his return to the U18 Asia Cup competitions.
Eishin Konno dropped 16 points, stealing the show specifically in the third as he knocked down four consecutive triples to give themselves the 60-34 lead with 4:57 on the clock. He also hauled down 9 rebounds.
Cayman Tsuneoka came through with 13 points, 15 rebounds, and 3 blocks, while Aru Takahashi added 12 for Team Japan, who as a collective sank a total of 15 threes as they did weaponize the outside shot in the romp.
India were led by Shekhar Rathee with 16 points and 9 rebounds along with 6 assists, with Aakash Iyappan his lone backup with 12 points in the loss.
FIBA