Boxscore

INCHEON (FIBA Asia Championship for Women) - Hosts Korea gave the Memory Day holiday crowd a lot to cheer about beating traditional East Asian rivals Japan in a needle Level I encounter on Wednesday.

"Any win against Japan is always special. And if it comes on Memory Day, it is indeed memorable," Korean coach Yoo Soo Jong.

Playing the proverbial pivotal role in the "memorable win" was 'Comeback Captain' Sun-Min Jung - top scoring the game along with her six rebounds and four assists. And the "youngsters in the team" responded to her call, applying pressure on their rivals right from the word go.

"Where was the space for us to move around? They exerted pressure and our players fell for it," pondered Japanese coach Tomohide Utsumi. "Hats off to them."

There were few left doubting about the superiority of the Koreans on this day. Where Korea started off with solidity and grew in confidence as the match progressed, the Japanese fumbled almost every ball, almost throughout. Yuko Oga's sacrificed suitability in her quest for speed as Japan were made to retreat with the same speed they attempted to advance.

Korea too had their hiccups on the paint. But Sun-Min's clever plays to pull away the defense to her side and open up the opportunities for the perimeter precision of Beon Yeon-Ha and Park Jung Eun stood out as the marked difference between the teams.

"Of course Sun-Min's presence made a lot of difference," Soo Jong said, when drawn attention to the defeat Korea suffered to Japan in 2006 Doha Asian Games. "Her role in the team is more than mere playing and she is playing that role remarkably well," he added. "Not that I'm surprised, but I'm very happy."

Utsumi too pointed out Sun-Min's contribution. "Actually, I have to term it hindrance, since it has only factored to my team's defeat," he chuckled. "But the fact remains a player like that brings a lot of responsibility to the team."

"We were constantly under pressure for the ball. When you play like that it's not easy win," he analyzed.

Scores
Korea 90 (Sun-Min Jung 20, Beon Yeon-Ha 17, Park Jung Eun 12, Kim Kwe-Ryong 10) bt Japan 68 (Ryoko Utsumi 13). (Quarterwise: 20-14, 39-28, 59-45).

S Mageshwaran
FIBA Asia