South Korea's women's basketball team has secured its first win in FIBA World Cup 2026 preliminary qualifying and a spot in the tournament.
The women's national basketball team defeated Mali 87-63 in the third game of Group A on Wednesday (Feb. 23) at the Gymnasio Olimpico Juan de la Barrera in Mexico City, Mexico.
South Korea, ranked 13th in the FIBA rankings, defeated the 20th-ranked Mali by 24 points to advance in the tournament.
The Koreans were considered one of the strongest teams in Group A, but were in danger of being eliminated from the group after falling to Venezuela (No. 36) and the Czech Republic (No. 23) in games one and two on Feb. 20 and 21.
However, after all six Group A matches were played, the Czech Republic had three wins and South Korea, Mali, and Venezuela were all tied with one win and two losses.
South Korea's big win over Mali helped them finish second in the group with an 18-point goal difference.
The tournament features eight nations, including Korea, with the first- and second-place finishers in Groups A-B advancing to the semifinals to determine the winner. The winner will earn a spot in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers.
On the day, South Korea defeated Mali behind the performances of aces Park Ji-soo (Galatasaray) 파워볼실시간 and Kang Yi-seul (Cheongju KB).
Kang Yiul was the top scorer for both teams with 26 points, including six three-pointers.
South Korea trailed Mali for the majority of the first quarter, but with about two minutes left in the first quarter, Kang made three straight three-pointers to take an 18-16 lead to end the first quarter.
After taking control of the first quarter and setting the tone, South Korea never trailed again and ended the second quarter with a five-point lead, 40-35.
The Koreans continued to extend their lead and finished the third quarter 57-45.
In the fourth quarter, Korea's younger players, including Kang Yiul and Park Ji-soo, as well as Lee So-hee (BNK) and Park So-hee (Hana Bank), played evenly to secure the victory, 87-63, a 24-point margin.
