Korea secured the final berth to the second round of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers after taking care of business against Japan, while China did its part by defeating Chinese Taipei.
Korea officially eliminated Chinese Taipei from contention on Monday night after edging Japan, 81-79, at Goyang Arena.
Entering the final day of the first round, Korea needed a victory over Japan to advance, as Chinese Taipei held the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Koreans.
(C) FIBA
Earlier in the day, China pushed Chinese Taipei to the brink with a convincing 92-74 victory to secure its own place in the second round.
Zhao Jiwei and Li Hongquan paced China with 17 points apiece. Zhao also contributed six assists and four rebounds, while Hu Jinqiu added 13 points and six rebounds.
Benson Lin finished with 28 points, five rebounds, and four steals for Chinese Taipei. Chen Yingchun chipped in 19 points and seven assists, while Brandon Gilbeck recorded a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds, but their efforts were not enough to keep their qualifying hopes alive.
In the day’s final game, Korea erased an early deficit before holding off a late Japanese comeback to book its place in the next round.
Korea appeared to be in control after building a 71-62 advantage, but Japan mounted a furious rally down the stretch.
(C) FIBA
Yuta Watanabe and Josh Hawkinson combined to trim the deficit to 80-79 with just under five seconds remaining.
Lee Woosuk then split his free throws on the ensuing possession to extend Korea’s lead to two.
Ryusei Sasaki’s potential game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer missed the mark, allowing Korea to escape with the victory and clinch the final qualifying spot.
Lee led Korea with 19 points and seven rebounds, while Choi Junyong added 16 points.
Hawkinson powered Japan with 30 points and 12 rebounds, while Watanabe contributed 18 points and 11 rebounds.
(C) FIBA
Korea joins fellow East Asian teams Japan and China in the second round, where they will face Lebanon, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
Lebanon enters the next phase atop Group F with a 5-1 record, followed by Japan and Qatar at 4-2. Saudi Arabia, Korea, and China each carry identical 3-3 records into the second round.
