An Asian Games gold medal is in sight. The 3x3 men's basketball team showed fighting spirit.
The 3x3 men's basketball team led by coach Bae Gil-tae advanced to the final by beating China 21-15 in the semifinals of the FIBA 3x3 Basketball Asia Cup Singapore 2026, held on the special court in Singapore on the 5th. Korea will meet New Zealand in the final to compete for the championship.
Korea formed the team with Lee Ju-young, Kim Seung-woo (both Yonsei University), Lee Dong-geun (Korea University), and Koo Min-gyo (Sungkyunkwan University), a quartet of college students. The lineup aims for an Asian Games gold medal.
Korea crushed Vietnam (21-7) and Tonga (21-11) in the preliminaries on the 2nd. Korea signaled an upset by beating rival Japan 20-15 on the 4th. In the subsequent match against Singapore, Kim Seung-woo's outside shot exploded as Korea completed a dramatic 21-19 comeback victory.
Undefeated in four games, Korea advanced to the quarterfinals and beat the Philippines 18-15 in the quarterfinals on the 5th. Lee Dong-geun performed well with a dunk and finished with 8 points and 6 rebounds. Lee Ju-young added 5 points.
A sudden incident occurred. Lee Ju-young suffered a lip laceration. Ultimately, Lee Ju-young headed to a hospital and did not play in the subsequent semifinal against China. In 3x3 basketball, playing full time with only three players and no substitutes is extremely disadvantageous. Korea overcame the disadvantage with fighting spirit.
In the semifinal, Korea defeated China 21-15. Kim Seung-woo hit the go-ahead two-pointer and even shed tears afterward. It was that hard a game. The players celebrated by waving Lee Ju-young's No. 5 jersey.
Lee Ju-young's participation in the final is uncertain. But Korea deserves ample applause just for the fighting spirit shown so far. Korea has increased its chances of an Asian Games gold medal.
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