Korea humble Japan 86-67; qualify for the semifinals in 2011 FIBA Asia Championship
Taejong Moon marshalled Korea, who beat Japan 86-67 in the second quarter-final of the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship on Friday.
Moon led all the scorers in the game with 17 points along with six rebounds and four assists. Although Moon struggled from the two point range and managed only one basket in five attempts, he was on song from the long distance,
finishing the night on a 5 of 9 blitzes.
Sekeun Oh also added 15 points, on a 54.5 shooting percent from the field, and grabbed six rebounds for team Korea. Three other players also scored in the double figures for the Koreans, who ended the game on a 46.6 shooting from
the field.
The Japanese had only three players in the double scoring figures. Their centre Kosuke Takeuchi was a class apart and pounded in a terrific double-double with game highs of 16 points and 13 rebounds. Tomoo Amino and Keijuro Matsui
also scored 10 points each for Japan.
The Koreans out-rebounded the Japanese 47-35 on the glass and also has advantage on the turnovers 9-13.
The Koreans made a solid 10-2 start and continued to dominate the Japanese, ending the first ten minutes with a lead of 12 at 23-11. The one way traffic continued in the second quarter as well as Korean offensive unit keep on drilling
in the fragile defence of the Japanese. Korea further stretched their lead with an early 10-0 blitz. By the time, the Koreans went into the locker rooms at the close of the first half; they were leading Japan by 45-26.
After a lacklustre first half, the Japanese picked up the pace in the third quarter. They outscored the Koreans 26-20 in the frame, reducing their deficit to 65-52 going into the last quarter.
After getting a jolt in the third quarter, Koreans tightened things up in the fourth quarter. They quickly built on their double digit lead and stretched the point difference to 18 points (78-60) mid-way in the quarter. They were
never threatened in the ensuing passage and held on to a 19 point win to book their places in the semis.
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