(Asiad) Sharpshooter trying to keep cool after lifting S. Korea to men's hoops final

This will let Google show Yonhap news articles that match or are related to your search

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 18 (Yonhap) -- After sending South Korea to its first men's basketball final at an Asian Games in 12 years on Friday, Lee Hyun-jung was in no mood to celebrate, knowing the job is not done and his team has more to give.

The 25-year-old forward led everyone with 26 points on 8-of-16 shooting, as South Korea knocked off Iran 77-51 in the semifinals of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya.

In a game that saw plenty of bricks early on, Lee was the lone shooting star, making seven three-pointers in 13 tries.

Lee Hyun-jung of South Korea celebrates after making a three-pointer against Iran during the teams' semifinal game of the men's basketball tournament at the Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Yonhap)

"I think I did a good job reading the game," Lee said afterward. "I didn't care whether I had zero points or 20 points. But I was ready to shoot whenever I had a chance. And if the defense collapsed on me, I was prepared to set up chances for my teammates."

South Korea is now a win away from its first men's hoops gold since 2014, when it defeated Iran in the final on its home soil of Incheon.

This was South Korea's first win over Iran since then, as the six-game losing streak ended.

"Honestly, I didn't really care about that losing streak because I was not around for those losses," Lee said. "Iran is a tough team, of course. And I didn't win this game alone. I had so many teammates do the dirty work to make life easy for a shooter like myself. Everyone on the team is so selfless, and our bigs set such great flair screens and pindown screens for me. All I had to do was take my shots."

Lee Hyun-jung of South Korea (C) attempts a three-point shot against Iran during the teams' semifinal game of the men's basketball tournament at the Asian Games at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 18, 2026. (Yonhap)

Lee also said his scoring chances were all created by strong defense at the other end.

"We held our ground on the defensive end, and we rebounded the ball really well," Lee said. "Transition offense is one of our team's strengths, and we were able to exploit Iran's weaknesses in that area."

In Sunday's final, South Korea will face the winner of the China-Japan semifinal showdown. Lee said those two play "completely different styles of basketball" and voiced confidence that South Korea can beat either team "as long as we are prepared for the battle."

"It will come down to who wants it more," Lee added. "And I think we have to play with a little more composure. We can't afford to get carried away in the final and start doing things we have not done.

"I am satisfied with today's game overall, but we still have one more game to play," Lee continued. "I think we had too many turnovers today (14). If we hold on to the ball better when we face pressure, we will be a much better team."

jeeho@yna.co.kr (END)

(LEAD) (Asiad) S. Korea reaches men's basketball final

(LEAD) Lee Chang-dong's 'Possible Love' wins Grand Jury Prize at Venice film fest

(2nd LD) Lee Chang-dong's 'Possible Love' wins Grand Jury Prize at Venice film fest

(News Focus) Lee Chang-dong: Korean maestro whose profound cinematic gaze captures human dignity

(3rd LD) Lee Chang-dong's 'Possible Love' wins Grand Jury Prize at Venice film fest

(LEAD) S. Korea seeks to retake OPCON from U.S. under 'no added conditions' principle: defense minister nominee

S. Korea, U.S. to hold high-level defense talks amid Hormuz deployment consideration

Over 300 S. Korean workers challenging Trump gov't over last year's immigration raid in Georgia: CNN

(3rd LD) N. Korea fires multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward East Sea: JCS

(2nd LD) Gender minister nominee withdraws from consideration amid mounting controversy

N. Korean auxiliary boat sinks off S. Korea's east coast

N.K.'s nuclear test may have triggered over 1,300 earthquakes: report

(LEAD) N.K. leader's sister slams U.S.-led maritime drill, vows nuclear build-up

(5th LD) Lee says S. Korea reviewing possible contribution to Hormuz but will not get involved in war

U.S. expected to delay new excess capacity tariff announcement until after Trump-Xi summit: report

N. Korea's vice defense chief attends int'l forum in Beijing

N. Korean sports minister arrives in Japan for Asian Games

Apple's iPhone 18 on sale

(Asiad) Sharpshooter trying to keep cool after lifting S. Korea to men's hoops final

这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章。

日本名古屋，9月18日（韩联社）——周五，李贤廷带领韩国男篮时隔12年再次闯入亚运会决赛，但他并没有庆祝的心情，因为他知道比赛还没有结束，他的球队还有更大的潜力。

这位 25 岁的前锋以 16 投 8 中的 26 分领衔全场，帮助韩国队在名古屋爱知国际体育馆举行的爱知-名古屋亚运会半决赛中以 77-51 击败伊朗队。

比赛初期双方投篮命中率都很低，李是唯一的得分明星，三分球13投7中。

2026年9月18日，在日本名古屋爱知国际体育馆举行的亚运会男篮半决赛中，韩国球员李贤廷在对阵伊朗的比赛中投中三分球后庆祝。（韩联社）

“我觉得我对比赛的解读做得不错，”李赛后说道。“我不在乎自己得了0分还是20分。只要有机会，我就会出手。如果对方防守收缩，我也准备好为队友创造机会。”

韩国距离自 2014 年以来首次获得男子篮球奥运金牌仅差一场胜利。2014 年，韩国在仁川本土举行的决赛中击败了伊朗。

这是韩国自那以来首次战胜伊朗，终结了六连败。

“说实话，我并不在意那段连败，因为那些失利我都不在场上，”李说道。“伊朗当然是一支强队。而且这场比赛的胜利并非我一人之力。我的队友们做了很多脏活累活，才让我这样的射手能够轻松得分。队里的每个人都非常无私，我们的大个子们为我设置了非常棒的掩护和挡拆。我只需要出手就行了。”

2026年9月18日，在日本名古屋爱知国际体育馆举行的亚运会男篮半决赛中，韩国球员李贤贞（中）尝试投三分球，对手是伊朗队。（韩联社）

李还表示，他所有的得分机会都是对方防守稳固创造出来的。

“我们在防守端站稳了脚跟，篮板抢得也非常好，”李说。“转换进攻是我们球队的强项之一，我们成功地利用了伊朗队在这方面的弱点。”

周日的决赛中，韩国队将迎战中日半决赛的胜者。李宗伟表示，这两支球队的篮球风格“截然不同”，并表示只要做好充分准备，韩国队就有信心战胜任何一支球队。

“最终将取决于谁更渴望胜利，”李补充道。“我认为我们必须更加沉着冷静地比赛。决赛中我们不能得意忘形，做出一些我们以前从未做过的事情。”

“我对今天的整体表现感到满意，但我们还有一场比赛要打，”李继续说道。“我认为我们今天失误太多（14次）。如果我们能在压力下更好地控制球权，我们会成为一支更强的球队。”

jeeho@yna.co.kr (完)

（头条）（亚运会）韩国男篮晋级决赛

（导语）李沧东执导的《可能的爱》荣获威尼斯电影节评审团大奖

（第二条）李沧东执导的《可能的爱》荣获威尼斯电影节评审团大奖

（新闻焦点）李沧东：这位韩国电影大师以其深邃的电影视角捕捉人类尊严

（第三名）李沧东执导的《可能的爱》荣获威尼斯电影节评审团大奖

（导语）韩国国防部长提名人：韩国寻求在“不附加任何条件”原则下从美国手中夺回作战控制权

韩国和美国将在考虑部署霍尔木兹号卫星系统之际举行高级别防务会谈

超过300名韩国工人就去年在佐治亚州的移民突袭事件向特朗普政府提出质疑：CNN

（第三份报告）朝鲜向东海发射多枚短程弹道导弹：联合参谋本部

（第二轮投票）性别平等部长提名人选因争议不断而退出竞选

朝鲜辅助船在韩国东海岸附近沉没

报道称，朝鲜的核试验可能引发了超过1300次地震。

（导语）朝鲜领导人妹妹抨击美国主导的海上联合军演，誓言加强核武库建设

（第五条）李表示，韩国正在考虑是否向霍尔木兹海峡地区提供援助，但不会卷入战争。

据报道，美国预计将推迟宣布新的产能过剩关税，直至特朗普与习近平峰会之后。

朝鲜国防部副部长出席在北京举行的国际论坛

朝鲜体育部长抵达日本参加亚运会

苹果 iPhone 18 现已开售

（亚运会）神射手帮助韩国男篮晋级决赛后努力保持冷静