South Korea, Japan seal semis date in Asiad basketball
South Korea and Japan defeated their respective opponents to march on to the semi-finals of the 2010 Asian Games men's basketball competition on Wednesday.
The South Koreans, who finished second to China in Group E, beat the Philippines 74-66 at the Huangpu Gymnasium.
Oh Sek-eu topscored for South Korea with 19 points while Kim Sung-chui added 13.
Lee Seung-jun contributed 12 points while Kim Joo-sung had 10 as the South Koreans ended the Filipinos' medal quest.
Asi Taulava powered his way to 23 points to lead the Philippines. The veteran big man was the only remnant of the Philippine team that placed fourth at the 2002 Busan Asiad.
Joseph Casio was the only other Filipino player to finish in double digits, chipping in 12 points.
It was a close game early on with South Korea leading only by two 21-19 after the first period. The South Koreans then started hitting their shots from beyond the arc to extend their lead to 44-36 at half-time.
The South Koreans, made up of Korean Basketball League stars, maintained their composure in the third period to take a commanding 61-51 lead after three quarters.
The Filipinos desperately tried to mount a rally in the final quarter but their opponents had an answer every time they threatened to draw closer.
South Korea's defenders also did their share in limiting the production of the Filipinos, holding them to a woeful 4-of-18 shooting from three-point range.
The win allowed South Korea to progress to the medal round while the Filipinos were relegated to the classification round.
Awaiting the South Koreans in the semi-finals is Japan, which clobbered North Korea 92-75.
Takumi Shizaki and Hiroyuki Kinoshita led Japan with 16 points each while Tomoo Amino chipped in 11. Kosuke Takeuchi had 10 points and nine rebounds for the Japanese, who topped Group F.
Sin Kum-byol led the North Koreans with 22 points and six rebounds.
The other semi-final will pit defending champion China against Iran in a re-match of last year's FIBA-Asia Championship final.
The unbeaten Chinese survived a gritty Qatar squad 71-66 in a re-match of the 2006 Doha Asiad final. The hosts led 20-16 after the first period and extended their lead to 36-25 at the break.
However, the Qataris outscored them in the third quarter 22-19 to stay within striking distance. China managed to keep their lead until the final buzzer, avoiding a major upset.
Former National Basketball Association player Wang Zhizhi topscored for China with 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Targuy Ngombo fired a game-high 24 points while Yaseen Musa finished with 21 to lead
the Qataris.
Iran had an easier time in disposing of Jordan 67-43. Hamed Afagh had 17 points while Mahdi Kamrani scored 16. Centre Asghar Kardoustpoustinsaraei made his presence felt in the shaded lane, tallying 15
points and 15 rebounds.
Abdallah Abuqoura finished with 11 points to pace Jordan, which is missing the services of its top players.
In the women's tournament, South Korea downed Japan 93-78 while China dumped Chinese Taipei 84-58 to arrange a final showdown.
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