SEREMBAN (Malaysia) - Lim Yeonseo starred as Korea hacked out a pulsating 74-71 victory over New Zealand in the FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup-2026 Division A competitions on Sunday at the Karisma Arena.
The 1.7 M (5'6") guard dropped 31 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 6 steals, as she maintained order for the East Asian side in the midst of the Junior Tall Ferns' upheaval toward joining Australia as the early winners in Group A.
Seeking a 'three-peat,' the Gems opened the tourney with a 102-47 romp over the debuting Philippines, in the process extending their winning streak to 12 which dates back to the 2018 contest in India.
Lee scored 6 of the Koreans' last points, including 4 in a row capped by a crucial trifecta to push their lead back to 5 with 2:24 to go after the opposition got to within 66-65 - that, after being down by as many as 16.
The Kiwi hoopers got to within a point again at 71-70 with 1:33 to go but it proved to be their final stand as Kim Damhee scored through a foul, before Lim split her shots with 8.9 seconds left to seal the deal.
Kim herself was crucial in the triumph, finishing with 6 points alongside 19 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals. Song Eunji and Cho Heewon supplied 13 points apiece and combined for 8 rebounds for Team Korea.
The 7-time champions will look to follow up this thrilling win with another one when they take on Gilas Youth (0-1) tomorrow at 14:00 local time.
On the other hand, all 12 players of Coach Kristi Harrower scored against the Philippines in the wire-to-wire win, with Sophie Richardson leading the way with a game-high 18 points behind a 5-of-9 clip from deep.
Isabel Smith made 17 points. Olivia Olechnowicz contributed 15 points, while Madison Ryan had 14 points. Lily Mapp added 10 and 12 rebounds for the Aussies, who had 60 rebounds, 25 assists, and 17 steals.
Only Tiffany Reyes and Zaydhen Rosario were in double figures for the Philippines with 10 points apiece.
FIBA