The Hindu : S. Korea upstages China

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 16, 2002

Sport

Sport - Asian Games

S. Korea upstages China

BUSAN Oct. 15. Seizing a last chance to upstage China at the Asian Games, South Korea did the unthinkable — upsetting the heavily favoured Chinese 102-100 in overtime for the men's basketball gold medal on Monday.

The host almost beat the Chinese in women's basketball too on Monday, narrowly losing 76-80. The last time China lost an Asian Games men's basketball final was against South Korea in 1982.

The team led 84-71 with slightly more than three minutes left. Lee Kyu-sup's basket in the final seconds of regulation time tied the game at 90.

The Koreans led throughout the five-minute overtime and China's Li Nan missed a desperation shot at the buzzer. Yao Ming scored 23 points for China.

In the women's final China looked like an easy winner when it led 63-53 after three quarters. Then South Korea shot ahead 74-67 with a 21-4 run over the last quarter's first 5 1/2 minutes.

But the Chinese bounced back and Sui Feifei helped clinch the 80-76 gold-medal victory by hitting a fast-break lay-up and two free throws in the final three minutes.

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