“It was a game where we didn’t do anything,” said Korea’s head coach Jeong Sun-min after her team’s hopes of reaching the final of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games were dashed in a heartbreaking loss to Japan.

The Korean women’s basketball team fell to Japan 58-81 in the women’s basketball quarterfinals at the 바카라사이트 Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China, on Wednesday.

It was the first time in 17 years that South Korea, which had reached three consecutive finals, including a single North-South team, was eliminated in the quarterfinals since the 2006 Doha Games (fourth place).

The South Koreans struggled on offense against Japan, the runner-up at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. They committed 14 turnovers and lost the three-point battle by a wide margin, 3-14. South Korea, which never led for 40 minutes, found itself in a 23-point deficit as the gap widened.

“I prepared with the players with a new mindset to play well against Korea, but we fell short in every aspect. In a word, it was a complete defeat. “It was a game where we could see why Japan, the Olympic runners-up, are so strong. We learned a lot about Korean basketball (by realizing the level difference),” he said.

As for why they lost the initiative early on, Jung pointed to the mental aspect. “The players came out ready, but we didn’t play the way we wanted to,” said Chung. They felt that they were being overpowered by a strong opponent, so they played passively. Overall, the players’ bodies were heavy,” he lamented.

When it comes to Japanese basketball, he’s quick to admit that they’re outclassed. “Japan is not a tall team, but they have good speed, physicality, stamina, and offensive movement. They play a very high level of basketball,” he said, adding, “If Korea doesn’t have good outside shooting, which is an advantage, it becomes difficult. Relying on one player, Park Ji-soo, in the inside game doesn’t work on the world stage. We need to work hard.”

Despite the blow to Japan, there is still one game left. The women’s basketball team will take on North Korea for the bronze medal at the same venue at 5 p.m. (ET) on Friday.

This will be the second meeting between the two Koreas in women’s basketball at the Hangzhou Games, with South Korea winning 81-62 in the group stage on Sept. 29.

“North Korea plays with (205-centimeter center) Park Jin-ah,” Chung said. “We will try our best to win the bronze medal,” Chung said.