(Asiad) Sharpshooting forward credits teammates' work on defense in big win over Jordan

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 16 (Yonhap) -- Lee Hyun-jung was the offensive star for South Korea in its men's basketball victory over Jordan at the Asian Games in Japan on Wednesday, but the sharpshooting forward deferred credit to his teammates for doing the dirty work on the defensive end.

South Korea routed Jordan 114-80 in the quarterfinals at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya on Wednesday, with Lee leading all players with 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting. He connected on six three-pointers out of 10 attempts.

South Korea played some dogged defense from the opening tip and never looked back. It started the game with a 10-0 run and outscored Jordan 28-8 in the first quarter.

"I just want to shout out to all the teammates who really focused on defense. We set the tone from the defensive end, and then I was shooting with confidence," Lee said. "They found me open, and they set a great screen for me. And our defensive players like Moon Jeong-hyeon and Byeon Jun-hyeong stepped up big time. We got a couple stops (early), and that is how we got the confidence. They sacrificed their offense to help out on defense, and I really want to thank them."

South Korea also got a boost from the return of two talented forwards. Yeo Jun-seok, who injured his foot during the team's first game against Saudi Arabia, returned after missing the past two contests. Choi Jun-yong, who was trying out for a spot in the G League in the United States, joined the team in the wee hours of Wednesday and was on the court for the 10 a.m. tipoff.

Lee had a particularly high praise for the 32-year-old Choi, saying he learned a lot from the veteran.

"He is a great team player, and it is always a plus to having him in any game," Lee said. "He is really good at reading the game, and then he is a winner. He took a long flight, and after a short sleep, he was just ready to play. He is really professional."

South Korea has won all four games so far in Nagoya, with Wednesday's victory preceded by three wins in the group phase. It is the longest winning streak under head coach Nikolajs Mazurs, who took over the team in December last year.

"I think we are finally grasping the type of basketball the coach wants us to play," Lee said. "I think all 12 of us here have accepted our roles, and we are playing only for the team, not for ourselves. Our head coach has been doing a great job getting the team together. We had been struggling for a little bit, but I think we have found a way. This was a really important game to build our confidence and go to the next level."

South Korea is now two wins away from winning its first Asiad gold since 2014. It would make Lee the second Asian Games champion in his family, with his former basketball-playing mother, Seong Jeong-a, having won the 1990 gold medal for the women's national team.

Lee said his mother had yet to bring up the topic in their conversations, and it suits him just fine.

"I only want to think about the immediate task at hand and not worry so much about trying to win the gold medal," Lee said. "Of course, it would be great to win it, but rather than thinking about joining my mother, I am just focusing on how to win the next game with my teammates."

Lee, 25, was sporting some stubble. Asked if he had stopped shaving in Japan out of superstition, Lee smiled and said, "Whenever I play in international games, I want to look a little tough."