Korea edge Japan to become new Asian U18 champs; China take bronze anew

TEHRAN (Iran) - Korea outlasted Japan, 77-73, to conquer the FIBA U18 Asian Championship 2022, Sunday night at the Azadi Basketball Hall.

Lee Haesol came through with the most important buckets down the stretch, and Lee Juyeong went on to ice the game in the last second to help the country annex their fourth gold medal overall in the continental youth competition.

It is the Koreans' first title in over two decades, or since ruling the 2000 edition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia that saw them beat China.

Lee Juyeong powered the victors with 28 points, including the tough lay-up that served as the finishing blow to the endgame uprising sparked by Lee Haesol.

It was Lee Haesol who tied the game up at 71-all through a booming three-pointer with 2:32 remaining, and then hit the go-ahead bucket off the transition to give his side the 75-73 lead with exactly 23 seconds to go.

Korea forced another miss on the other end, and that's when Lee Juyeong came through with the lay-in as their squad erupted in jubilation.

Lee Juyeong went on to earn TISSOT Most Valuable Player honors, bannering an All-Star Five that also has teammate Lee Chae Hyung, Iran's Mohammad Amini, Japan star Yuto Kawashima, and Yang Hansen of China.

Lee Haesol finished with 12 points in the golden triumph. Lee Chae Hyung had 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals, as Ku Mingyo added 10.

Hayato Wakugawa, on the other hand, finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds to lead Japan, who's settling for silver for the third time. They last won the crown way back in 1990, when the tournament was held in Nagoya.

Kaisei Hoshikawa had 14 points. Hiyuu Ozawa had 12 points, while Kawashima chipped in 10 markers and 13 rebounds in the heartbreaker.

Kawashima had the chance to change the course of the match when he was given two free throws with the game tied at 71 with 2:03 left, but missed both.

Meanwhile, China used a big second quarter to take down Lebanon, 85-68, and bag home the bronze medal for the second time in a row.

Liu Lijia led the way with 22 points, while Yang came through with 21 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks for the young Team Dragon, who outscored their counterparts 29-9 on the way to the convincing victory.

Karim Rtail paced the young Cedars with 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists in the defeat that led to another fourth-place finish for the nation like in 2016.

FIBA