(LEAD) (Asian Games) Unified Korean team routs Indonesia in women's hoops debut
(ATTN: ADDS coach's comments in paras 9-14)
JAKARTA, Aug. 15 (Yonhap) -- The unified Korean women's basketball team routed Indonesia 108-40 in its first preliminary match at the 18th Asian Games here on Wednesday.
Ro Suk-yong, one of three North Koreans on the team, filled the stats sheet with a game-high 22 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals in Group X action at GBK Basketball Hall. All 11 players on the unified team saw action in the lopsided win.
The opening ceremony of the Asian Games is Saturday in Jakarta, but preliminary games in basketball, football and handball are already under way to accommodate their long tournament schedules.
South Korea is the defending champion, while North Korea has never won an Asian Games medal.
The joint team is currently made up of eight South Koreans and three North Koreans. One South Korean player, Park Ji-su of the Las Vegas Aces in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), has been named to the squad but has yet to report to Jakarta.
Korea finished the opening quarter up 25-8 and outscored Indonesia 33-12 in the second quarter to take a huge lead into the second half.
It was 79-29 for Korea during the third quarter, and the team reached the century mark in points with Park Ha-na's layup with 2:32 remaining in the fourth quarter.
North Korean Kim Hye-yon chipped in 14 points, while South Korea's Kang Lee-seul and Kim Han-byul each netted a dozen points.
Lee Moon-kyu, the South Korean-born head coach of the unified team, said it was "an honor" to lead the Koreas to their first combined victory.
"We are off to a positive start, and hopefully we'll get a good result at the end," Lee said. "Though the players have only been together for a short time, they're on the same page. I didn't even have to call a timeout today. I just told them to do whatever they wanted to do, whether it was to play one-on-one defense or to get on fast breaks on offense."
Lee said Ro, despite leading all scorers, was hard on herself after the game because she felt she still wasn't at 100 percent.
"For a first game, she was pretty good," the coach added.
Lee said he knew he was going up against a weak opponent in this one, and potential knockout matchups against the likes of China and Japan will present real threats.
"We have to play with speed on both ends, and that way, we'll be able to generate more scoring chances," he added.
Korea will next play Taiwan on Friday, followed by India on Monday and Kazakhstan on Tuesday. All matches will be played at GBK Basketball Hall.
There are two groups of five in the women's tournament. The group Y nations are: China, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Mongolia.
The Koreas will also compete as one in dragon boat racing, which is a canoeing discipline, and in three events in rowing.
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)
-
BTS' RM to prerelease 'Come Back to Me,' music video directed by Lee Jung-jin of 'Beef'
-
(Yonhap Interview) Kang Kang-hoon's portrait saga: life seen through his daughter, cotton
-
Sneak peek of Art Busan shows strong emphasis on female trailblazers
-
Disney+ 'Uncle Samsik' aims to provoke thought with ambitious characters in turbulent times
-
N. Korea's ex-propaganda chief Kim Ki-nam dies at 94: KCNA
-
BTS' RM to prerelease 'Come Back to Me,' music video directed by Lee Jung-jin of 'Beef'
-
(Yonhap Interview) Kang Kang-hoon's portrait saga: life seen through his daughter, cotton
-
Sneak peek of Art Busan shows strong emphasis on female trailblazers
-
Disney+ 'Uncle Samsik' aims to provoke thought with ambitious characters in turbulent times
-
(Yonhap Interview) U.S. will do 'all' it can to back S. Korea in case of China's economic coercion: official
-
N. Korea says to deploy new multiple rocket launcher starting this year
-
(2nd LD) U.S. 'deliberately' excluded Moon from 2018 Trump-Kim summit under 'America first' policy: ex-official
-
S. Korean ministry voices regret over Japan's 'pressure' over Line messenger
-
N. Korea holds funeral for ex-propaganda chief Kim Ki-nam
-
S. Korea, U.S. discuss cooperation in software supply chain security