(Asiad) Iran stands in way as S. Korea chases 1st men's hoops gold in 12 yrs

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea inches closer to reclaiming the Asian Games men's basketball gold medal, which they last secured in 2014 by defeating Iran in Incheon. The two rivals will clash in the semifinals at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya on Friday. Japan and China will face off in the other semifinal match.

South Korea has lost to Iran in six consecutive matches since their 2014 triumph, including the 2018 and 2023 Asian Games. Coach Nikolajs Mazurs has led the team to four consecutive victories, including a 114-80 win over Jordan in the quarterfinals. South Korea's captain Lee Seoung-hyun and leading scorer Lee Hyun-jung have emphasized adapting to Mazurs' system.

The Latvian coach has instilled a strong defense and high-energy offense in his team. South Korea has scored over 99 points in three straight games, a feat unmatched by any other nation at the tournament, averaging 99.5 points per game. In contrast, Iran has only topped 80 points once in four games, averaging 71.3 points per contest.

Iran relies on a strong defense, limiting opponents to 67.5 points per game on average, while allowing only 5.5 offensive rebounds per game. Mohammad Jamshidi is Iran's top scorer with 22.7 points per game, while veteran Arsalan Kazemi contributed 10 assists and 11 rebounds in their recent semifinal clash with Bahrain. South Korea's Lee Hyun-jung leads the scoring charts with 22.8 points per game, including six three-pointers against Jordan. Returning forwards Yeo Jun-seok and Choi Jun-yong have bolstered the team in the quarterfinals.