{
  "id": 8159639,
  "title": "S. Korea beats Malaysia to begin women's basketball tournament",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/s-korea-beats-malaysia-to-begin-womens-basketball-tournament",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-18T03:22:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/sports/20260918/s-korea-beats-malaysia-to-begin-womens-basketball-tournament"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nagoya, Japan — South Korea secured an impressive 106-40 victory over Malaysia on Friday, opening their women's basketball tournament at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan. Lee So-hee, the team's guard, was the standout player with 21 points and four steals, while forward Choi I-saem added 19 points and seven rebounds. Six South Korean athletes scored in double digits, making it the nation's first Group C win at the Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, central Japan. South Korea will face Mongolia at 1 p.m. on Monday, followed by a game against Chinese Taipei at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. The Asian Games will host all basketball matches at Aichi International Arena. Coach Park Soo-ho aims to surpass the bronze medal achieved at the 2023 Asiad, where South Korea and North Korea, as a unified team, placed second behind China. The country's last women's basketball gold medal was won in 2014 during the Incheon Asiad. South Korea will enter the tournament with 11 players, one less than the maximum allowed, as star center Park Ji-su is sidelined with an ankle injury and decided not to be named to the roster by the national federation.",
  "summary": "NAGOYA, Japan — South Korea overcame early shooting woes to defeat Malaysia 106-40 to start its women's basketball competition at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan on Friday. Guard Lee So-hee led all players with 21 points and four steals, while forward Choi I-saem contributed 19 points and seven rebounds in the team's first Group C game at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, central Japan.…",
  "key_points": [
    "South Korea defeats Malaysia 106-40 in women's basketball opener",
    "Lee So-hee leads with 21 points and four steals",
    "South Korea aims to win first Group C title at Asian Games"
  ],
  "editors_take": "South Korea's dominant win sets a positive tone for their campaign, boosting hopes of surpassing their 2023 Asiad bronze medal finish in a tournament where they face stiff competition.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "(LEAD) (Asiad) S. Korea beats Malaysia to begin women's basketball tournament",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/lead-asiad-s-korea-beats-malaysia-to-begin-womens-basketball",
        "published": "2026-09-18T03:18:26.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "S. Korea beats Malaysia to begin women's basketball tournament",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/18/s-korea-beats-malaysia-to-begin-womens-basketball-tournament-8161684",
        "published": "2026-09-18T03:32:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}