South Korea held off Japan 67-57 to win the men's basketball final at the 2026 Asian Games on Sunday, while China finished fourth after losing 79-70 to Iran in the bronze-medal match.

Japan built a 16-12 advantage in the first quarter, but South Korea opened the second quarter with an 8-4 run to pull level, leaving the two sides deadlocked at 28 apiece at halftime.

South Korea seized control in the third quarter with a 17-8 surge, carrying an eight-point cushion into the final frame. Lee Hyun-jung reeled off five straight points early in the fourth quarter to stretch the lead to 13, putting the result beyond doubt.

Lee finished with a game-high 27 points, knocking down five of his eight 3-point attempts, and grabbed 18 rebounds. Lee Jung-hyun added 14 points and seven assists for the gold medalists.

For Japan, Ren Kanechika posted 13 points and six rebounds, while Atsuya Ogawa chipped in 12 points.

Iran took an early 8-2 lead before China responded with a 10-0 run to take the advantage in the first quarter. The two sides were tied at 42-42 with four minutes 30 seconds left in the third quarter, before Iran launched a 13-4 run to enter the final period with a nine-point lead.

Following a 3-pointer from Matin Aghajanpour, Iran extended its advantage to 13 points.

Pang Zhenglin's driving layup and Li Hongquan's consecutive 3-pointers helped China close the gap to 62-63. However, led by Aghajanpour, Iran mounted another 16-8 run to secure the victory.

"It was an important game for us, especially for the young players. We put our heart out on the floor. We really wanted it more. We hustled really well. We dived for every loose ball and eventually we won the game," said Iran's Mohammad Jamshidi afterwards.

Only two China players scored in double digits. Pang scored a team-high 22 points, and Li contributed 12. Aghajanpour led Iran with 21 points, while Piter Girgoorian added 15.

"We didn't do well in defense and rebounding today, nor did we execute our pre-game tactics on the court. We controlled the tempo for a while in the second half, but failed to adjust after committing turnovers," said China captain Hu Mingxuan.

"Iran earned this win because they played harder than us, and they played tough. They had more energy than us, and they wanted this game. They played much better than us. That's why they beat us," China forward Cui Yongxi added. (Xinhua)


Edited by Aaron Tam