SOUTH Korea and underdogs Taiwan powered their way into the final of the men's Asian Under-22s Championships at the Southorn Stadium in Wan Chai last night.
The Koreans, overwhelmingly favoured for the title in the absence of arch-rivals China, were given a scare in the first half but relied on their superior fitness to crush Japan 98-74.
Japan surprisingly pulled away to a 28-22 lead 13 minutes into the match and it was only in the last minute of the first half that South Korea regained the advantage, thanks to a three-pointer from Moon Kyung-eun which put them 36-35 ahead at the interval.
An eight-point scoring spree led by three-pointers from Kim Seung-gi and Moon put South Korea into a 48-39 lead six minutes into the second period and they never looked back, pulling away to win by a 24-point margin.
Moon was top scorer for South Korea with 21 points while Kim also contributed 18, including four three-pointers.
The victory earned the Koreans a berth in the World Under-22s Championships in Barcelona in July.