The Airbnb Australian Boomers have made it two wins in as many days, outclassing the Philippines 97-75 in Nice, France overnight.
It was a commanding performance from the Australian team, outscoring their Asian opponents 50-33 after half time to claim a 22-point victory and head into tomorrow morning’s match-up with France full of confidence.
The Australians spread the love on the offensive end, with five players posting double digit scoring – led by Aron Baynes (15 points and four assits), Ryan Broekhoff (14 points on 4-of-7 3FG), Matthew Dellavedova (13 points), Brad Newley (13 points and four rebounds) and Nathan Jawai (10 points and four rebounds).
Young gun Dante Exum had his best all-round performance in the green and gold, posting an impressive stat line of eight points, five rebounds and a game-high six assists in 21 minutes.
His Utah Jazz NBA Summer League teammate Brock Motum continued his strong European tour, posting seven points and a game-high 12 rebounds as the Airbnb Boomers dominated the glass 40-30.
Airbnb Boomers Assistant Coach Luc Longley said it was pleasing to see the team perform against a potentially tricky opponent.
“We were nervous going into this game,” Longley said.
“They were a Korea, Angola-style game where they just run around and jack up threes, very hard to scout and very hard to prepare for, so it was a game where we needed to be disciplined defensively and only taking good looks was important, which I thought the guys did a really good job of doing.
“We’re really happy with the way the guys are coming together. Roles are clarifying. Players like Ryan Broekhoff are starting to find their niche and find their shots. There’s a couple of guys that still need to do that, but we’re happy with the process.”
Resting starters Dave Andersen and Joe Ingles for the clash, the Airbnb Boomers looked to veteran Brad Newley to set the temp early – and the 29-year-old responded, getting to the basket to post seven points in a 20-17 quarter-time lead.
Exum began to exert his playmaking influence on the game during the second quarter as Broekhoff picked up where he left off, finding his range from beyond the arc as the Australians posted a late 8-0 run to lead 47-42.
Having played largely a facilitating role – it was time for Dellavedova to show his shooting prowess, scoring 11 of his 13 points in the second half as the Airbnb Boomers found a variety of avenues to the basket.
The 24-12 final quarter ensured the 10-point three-quarter time lead would push beyond 20 at the final buzzer and continue the Airbnb Boomers’ undefeated Nice tournament.
Next up for the Airbnb Boomers is a match-up with France in the early hours of Monday morning.
In a coup for fans, all three games will be televised LIVE on ESPN2 and ESPN3.com.au, tipping-off in the early hours of Monday morning 18 August against France at 4:30am AEST.
Catch the latest edition of “Inside The Huddle” and go all access behind the scenes of game day with the Airbnb Boomers.
The Airbnb Boomers open their 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Gran Canaria against Slovenia in the early hours of Sunday morning 31 August AEST.
Based in the Canary Island city of Gran Canaria, the Boomers will also face Angola, Korea, Lithuania and Mexico, playing five games in six days prior to the knockout phase.
CLICK HERE to see the full schedule for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Fans won’t miss a minute of the action from Spain with all Australian Boomers games to be broadcast LIVE* and in full on ABC2 as part of their extensive 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup coverage.
CLICK HERE to read more about the ABC coverage of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.
The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup will be held in Spain from 30 August to 15 September.
*(Live AEST)
Airbnb Australian Boomers Team – 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup
David Andersen – Strasbourg (France)
Cameron Bairstow – Chicago Bulls (NBA)
Aron Baynes – San Antonio Spurs (NBA)
Ryan Broekhoff – Besiktas (Turkey)
Matthew Dellavedova – Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA)
Dante Exum – Utah Jazz (NBA)
Adam Gibson – Adelaide 36ers (NBL)
Chris Goulding – CAI Zaragoza (Spain)
Joe Ingles – Maccabi Tel-Aviv (Israel)
Nathan Jawai – Galatasaray (Turkey)
Brock Motum – Bologna (Italy)
Brad Newley – Gran Canaria (Spain)
Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Andrej Lemanis
Assistant Coaches: Luc Longley and Trevor Gleeson
Mentor Coach: Dr Adrian Hurley
Technical Assistant Coach: Mick Downer
Airbnb Australian Boomers pre-FIBA Basketball World Cup Tour
Nice Tournament
Airbnb Australian Boomers v France
Monday 18 August @ Nice, France 4:30am
TV: LIVE on ESPN2
Online: ESPN3.com.au and Foxtel GO
Live Stats
Strasbourg Tournament
Airbnb Australian Boomers v Finland
Saturday 23 August @ Strasbourg, France 4:30am
Airbnb Australian Boomers v France
Monday 25 August @ Strasbourg, France 3:00am
TV: LIVE on ESPN2
Online: ESPN3.com.au and Foxtel G
In the spirit of reconciliation Basketball Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.