{
  "id": 8161684,
  "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",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-18T03:32:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "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's women's basketball team began its tournament at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games by defeating Malaysia 106-40 on Friday. The team, coached by Park Soo-ho, overcame initial difficulties in shooting to secure a commanding victory. Guard Lee So-hee was the standout player, recording 21 points and adding four steals to her performance. Forward Choi I-saem contributed 19 points and seven rebounds, with six players scoring in double figures for South Korea. The team will face Mongolia in their next game at 1 p.m. on Monday, followed by Chinese Taipei at 4 p.m. on Tuesday. All games during the Asian Games will be held at Aichi International Arena. South Korea aims to surpass their bronze medal finish from the 2023 Asiad, while their previous women's basketball gold came in 2014 when they hosted the Incheon Asian Games. This year's South Korean squad consists of 11 players, one less than the maximum allowed, following the injury of star center Park Ji-su and the decision not to include her due to her ankle issue.",
  "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",
    "Guard Lee So-hee leads with 21 points and four steals",
    "Team aims to improve on bronze medal from 2023 Asiad"
  ],
  "editors_take": "South Korea's convincing win sets a positive tone for their campaign, highlighting their depth with six players scoring in double figures, as they aim to improve on their 2023 bronze medal finish.",
  "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",
        "published": "2026-09-18T03:22:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}