AHMEDABAD (India) - Korea completed half of the FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2026 Semi-Finals picture after eliminating Chinese Taipei by way of a 107-79 rout in an all-EABA duel at the Veer Savarkar Indoor Stadium on Friday.
Eom Jihoo finished with 31 points, with Yoon Jihoon coming through with 26 on top of 7 rebounds and 4 assists as they proved to be the heavy hitters that helped the program end a years-long wait for a 'Final Four' return.
The last time that the Koreans reached the penultimate phase was in 2022 in Tehran, Iran, in which they went all the way to the Final and won the whole thing by beating Japan to annex their fourth title in this event.
Going 'back-to-back' was, of course, the main objective entering the 2024 competitions in Jordan, but that plan got crushed by no less than the host nation after sending them packing in the Quarter-Finals, 73-69.
But now, they have exorcised the haunting ghost of Amman, in the process securing themselves a ticket to the prestigious FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2027 in Czechia for their 10th appearance overall.
And playing a big role in those returns were the two. Eom and Yoon were crucial in the first half, in which Team Korea took a slim lead after the first before pulling away in the next frame by building a 51-34 lead.
They spearheaded the strong closeout as well when the opposition was trying to mount a rally. In fact, they scored 12 apiece in the final period alone, as they made sure to prevent Chinese Taipei from getting closer.
As a whole, the crew scored 33 in the said period to come away with the 28-point victory, which saw the 16-time medalists shoot 51.9-percent overall, highlighted by 13 treys - 10 of which came from Eom and Yoon combined.
But the others also made their presence felt in the triumph.
Yoon Jiwon delivered 17 points and 7 rebounds, which he laced with 4 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. Heo Geonwoo produced 12 points and 6 rebounds while Kweon Daehyeon chipped in 10 points and 7 boards as well.
Korea will be waiting for the winner between defending champions Australia and Iran to determine which team they will be locking horns with in the Semi-Finals, which is set tomorrow, Saturday, August 22.
Carter Coleman, on the other hand, finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds for Chinese Taipei in the loss, which prolonged their Semi-Finals drought to 12 years now. The team last got that far in 2014 in Qatar.
Xing Yu-Sheng had 15 points and 6 rebounds, while Huang Jia-Han and Weng Tz-Jie added 14 and 12, respectively, for two-time runners-up, who will compete in the Classification Round 5-8 that also starts tomorrow.
FIBA