In a defensive grind, the Australian Spinners have claimed their second straight victory for the U23 World Championships, defeating Brazil 43-27.
Against a young and developing Brazilian line-up, coach Luke Brennan was able to give every player some solid minutes and keep their starters rested as we get closer to the Quarter-Final stage.
Jontee Brown got the Spinners off to a strong start, knocking down a couple of perimeter shots and while he was not as effective as he has been so far through the tournament, Tom O’Neill-Thorne (16 points, three assists, four steals) contributed to Australia’s early lead as well.
At the defensive end, the Spinners also recorded a few charges to keep Brazil to just 11 points and while the Aussies went to their bench in the second term, they were able to maintain the lead into half-time.
Australia then lifted the tempo in the third quarter defensively, forcing turnovers and getting high-percentage looks at the other end and while some shots refused to fall, the Spinners will be pleased that they were able to get into the right areas.
Lachlin Dalton (two points, four rebounds) and Anderson Parker (two points, two assists) maintained that defensive intensity until the final siren, helping to hold the Brazilians to just eight points in the second half with Brian Carminati (two points, two steals) also enjoying some impressive minutes before Brown closed out the game as he had started it, finishing with 13 points and four rebounds.
The box score can be found here while you will be able to watch the Spinners games live via the IWBF’s website here.
Australia are back on the court tomorrow morning at 8am AEST against Italy who will pose a challenge for the Spinners after a comprehensive game against Brazil earlier in the group stage.
Standings (top four from each pool advance to Quarter-Finals):
Pool A Pool B
Turkey 3-0 (+93) Japan 3-0 (+93)
Canada 2-1 (+41) Germany 2-1 (+78)
Australia 2-1 (+16) Great Britain 2-1 (+46)
Iran 1-2 (-24) France 2-1 (+41)
Italy 1-2 (-39) USA 0-3 (-69)
Brazil 0-3 (-83) South Africa 0-3 (-189)
The Australian Under-23 Spinners World Championship Schedule (all times AEST):
June 12: Australia vs. Italy at 8am
June 13: Australia vs. Turkey at 12pm
June 15: Quarter-Finals
June 16: Semi-Finals
June 17: Bronze and Gold Medals
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.