Korea tops Japan to capture first women's basketball gold in 12 years

Korean women ended its Asian Games title drought by defeating host Japan 75-70 despite only fielding an 11-person squad and missing two key players.

Korea's women's national basketball team players pose for a selfie after beating Japan in the Asian Games women's basketball final at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 26. YONHAP

Korea's women's basketball team has won its first Asian Games gold in 12 years.

The Korean team fended off Japan — Korea's biggest rival and also the host nation for this year's Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 — with a 75-70 victory on Saturday at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan.

Head coach Park Soo-ho's team built a 19-point halftime lead, then held off a Japanese rally that cut the gap to two in the closing seconds.

Korea won the title without its usual one-two punch of center Park Ji-su of the Cheongju KB Stars and guard Park Ji-hyun of the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks.

Korea also snapped a seven-game losing streak against Japan, No. 9 in the FIBA women's world ranking to Korea's No. 14. Korea still leads the all-time series 48-24.

Korea led 42-23 at halftime and did not give up the lead in the second half. Japan closed to 72-70 with 15 seconds left, but captain Kang Lee-seul then made two free throws, and Lee Hae-ran added one more from the line to seal the game.

Forward Lee Hae-ran of the Yongin Samsung Life Blueminx led Korea with 24 points and nine rebounds. Kang, a forward with the Asan Woori Bank Woori Won, finished with 21 points and seven rebounds, and guard Lee So-hee of the Busan BNK Sum had 16 points and six rebounds.

Korean head coach Park Soo-ho watches the team during an exhibition game against Japan at Ariake Arena in Tokyo on Aug. 13, 2026. JAPAN BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

“Despite the concerns that our roster was thin, this is the first time both the players and I have felt that we can get results like this when our players come together as one and work hard,” coach Park Soo-ho said after the final. “Because of this, I think we can keep working hard from here on, even when players are missing, with the players we do have.”

The coach took over the national team in 2024 and chose to go into the tournament with 11 players rather than fill a 12-player roster for its own sake. The bet rested on the chemistry the squad had built by training together since the summer.

“We did not train or run games around specific players,” the coach said. “It would have been much easier if all our core players had been here, but we could not just blame their absence. I made wide use of everyone available, with the idea that every single one of the 11 players who took the court had to do their part.”

Forward Kang Lee-seul, left, celebrates with teammates Heo Ye-eun and Lee Hae-ran after scoring against Japan in the Asian Games women's basketball final at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 26. NEWS1

Korea reached the final by beating China 85-80 in Friday's semifinal. China is ranked 7th in the world and built its lineup around 220-centimeter (7-foot-3) center Zhang Ziyu.

Korea's men's team had already beaten Japan 67-57 in its own final on Sept. 20, and the two titles give Korean basketball a gold double at the Games.

Korea last won the women's title at the 2014 Incheon Games. A unified Korean team took silver at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, and at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, Korea lost 81-58 to Japan in the semifinals before settling for bronze. Saturday's result avenged that defeat.

Forward Lee Hae-ran celebrates after making a 3-pointer against Japan in the Asian Games women's basketball final at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 26. NEWS1

“I cannot speak for the men's team, but it is still too early to call the current women's team a golden generation,” coach Park said. “This is a valuable result that came because the players here did so well in a difficult situation.”

“Korean women's basketball still falls short in many areas, but I think seeing the national team players win the title and the gold medal will motivate young players,” he added. “I hope this title becomes a starting point for broadening the base of women's basketball.”

Korea's players cheer after Lee Hae-ran makes a 3-pointer against Japan in the Asian Games women's basketball final at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 26. YONHAP

The Korean team celebrates after beating Japan 75-70 in the Asian Games women's basketball final at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan, on Sept. 26. YONHAP