[Asian Games] S. Korea reaches finals in men's, women's basketball

South Korea reached the gold medal games in both the men's and women's basketball at the Asian Games on Wednesday.

In the men's semis, South Korea defeated Japan 71-63 to advance to the final where It will take on Iran, which edged out Kazakhstan 80-78 in the other semis. The men's final tip-off will be 6:15 p.m. Friday at Samsan World Gymnasium.

In the women's event, South Korea beat Japan 58-53 to reach the gold medal game against China, which earlier defeated Chinese Taipei 75-63.

The women's final will be at 6:15 p.m. Thursday at Samsan World Gymnasium.

In the men's game, Lee Jong-hyun led a balanced attack with 12 points, while Kim Sun-hyung and Cho Sung-min each had 10 points.

South Korea shot 53 percent from the field, while Japan only shot 39 percent.

Naoto Tsuji had the game-high 18 points for the losing team.

Japan led 20-18 after the opening quarter, with Tsuji draining three of his five treys in the opening 10 minutes.

South Korea pulled even midway through the second quarter and ended the first half tied at 34-34, thanks to baskets by Oh Se-keun and Moon Tae-jong.

South Korea then held Japan scoreless in the first three minutes of the second half, getting on a 9-0 run with Yang Dong-geun and Kim Tae-sul leading the attack.

Japan never got much closer in the fourth quarter, and Kim Jong-kyu's two-handed slam with about a minute left sealed the deal for the host.

In the other men's semis, Mohammad Samad Nik Khahbahrami paced Iran's offense with 27 points on 10-of-22 shooting. Hamed Ehadadi chipped in 13 points.

Anton Ponomarev and Pavel Ilin each had 16 points for Kazakhstan, which erased a seven-point first half deficit before coming up short.

At the 2010 Asian Games, South Korea won the silver and Iran got the bronze, while China claimed its second consecutive title. This year, China was eliminated in the quarterfinal round.

In the women's competition, South Korean center Ha Eun-joo scored a team-high 15 points in just 15 minutes off the bench, going a perfect 7-of-7 from the field. Sin Jung-ja chipped in 13 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

South Korea will meet China in the gold medal contest for the second straight Asian Games. China defeated Chinese Taipei 75-63 in the other semifinal match Wednesday and will aim for its fourth consecutive Asiad gold medal.

At the 2010 Asian Games final, China beat South Korea 70-64.

South Korea got off to a slow start against Japan at Hwaseong Sports Complex Gymnasium in Hwaseong, on the outskirts of the host city and trailed 12-9 after the first quarter.

South Korea turned the tables in the next frame, outscoring Japan 17-9 to take a 26-21 lead into the second half.

Japan cut the deficit to 44-43 heading into the final quarter, but South Korea went on an 8-0 scoring run to regain control of the game.

South Korea outscored Japan 44-26 in the paint. Japan shot only 28 percent from the floor, while South Korea shot 43 percent.

Japan's Naho Miyoshi had 18 points in the losing cause.

For China, Shi Xiufeng led all scorers with 20 points. Liu Dan scored 18 points and grabbed eight boards. Zhang Fan had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Huang Ping Jen scored 19 points for Chinese Taipei, which made just one of 11 three-point attempts. (Yonhap)