AMMAN (Jordan) - Korea kept their mastery of Iran, 66-57, to secure a 5th-place finish in the FIBA U18 Asia Cup 2024, Monday at the Prince Hamza Hall.
Gu Seungchae led the way with 20 points on a 5-of-7 clip from deep, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal and finish with an efficiency of 23 as he sparked the second-quarter breakaway on the way to beating their West Asian counterparts anew.
It could be recalled that both teams faced each other back in the Group Phase, with the East Asian side coming out victorious by way of an 83-60 win to repeat after owning their Quarter-Final duel in 2022 - an edition which they went on to rule.
Now, the erstwhile defending champions have written another chapter of this budding rivalry in their favor to ensure themselves at least a Top 5 finish for the fifth time in the last seven editions of the biennial continental youth competitions.
That's big thanks to Gu, who gave Korea a 16-13 lead late in the first quarter before pouring 11 points in the following period to lead his side to a 35-22 halftime lead. Gu did outscore Iran by himself in the as the latter only had 9 in that frame.
It would be all Korea since, as the others such as Jang Hyeokjun (15 points) and Daniel Edi (10 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists) helped out to secure the victory.
Mohammad Heydari and Amirmahyar Keramati, on the other hand, were the only bright spots for the young Team Melli with 16 and 12 points, respectively.
Earlier in the day witnessed Japan salvaged 7th-place finish after beating India, 100-50, to finish within the Top 8 for the 9th consecutive time.
Riku Segawa bannered the dominant victory with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals for an efficiency of 30, as he came alive in the second quarter to further their lead after establishing themselves as early as the opening period.
He scored 10 of his points in the second period, matching their foes' output in the frame prior (26-10) for a 43-22 advantage at the half as the AKATSUKI JAPAN clearly wanted to make sure that they will end their campaign on a strong note.
But it wasn't just Segawa who made wonders in the win, with Shoko Tagata punching in 19 points as he saved his best for last. Riku Sugeno had 13 points and 6 dimes.
Takuma Wada made 11 points while Ginga Sembo chipped in as a total of five players finish in double figures in the victory that saw the Japanese erupt for 57 points in the game's final 20 minutes as they refused to relax all the way to the final buzzer.
Mirtun Dhanasekar, meanwhile, finished with 15 points, while Lavish added 10 points in the loss as India settled for an eighth-place finish.
*This article will be updated.