The Australian Boomers took a big step forward in their Olympic campaign with a hard-fought 86-83 win over Italy in Tokyo on Wednesday night.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The three-point win means the Boomers only need to defeat Germany in Saturday night's final pool game to seal top spot and likely avoid the United States in the quarter-finals.
Wednesday night's win was built around an outstanding rebounding display.
The Boomers won the rebound count 44-30, including a 16-6 offensive rebound count.
The offensive rebounds led to some crucial baskets, particularly in the final term.
The Boomers' frontcourt had a big impact on the game, with Jock Landale (18 points and seven rebounds), Nic Kay (15 points and seven rebounds) and Aron Baynes (14 points and seven rebounds) making some big plays.
Patty Mills didn't have his greatest shooting night, but he was still a key contributor with 16 points (6-17 field goals), six rebounds and five assists.
Joe Ingles nailed four three-pointers in his 14-point haul.
Maryborough's Matthew Dellavedova offensive numbers of two points and three assists don't look much on paper, but he still had an impact on the game with his defence, particularly in the tight final term.
The Boomers had trailed 52-46 in the third quarter before turning the game on its head with a 12-0 run.
The Italians fought back to level the scores early in the final quarter, but another Boomers' run proved to be decisive.
The Boomers scored 10 of the next 12 points to break the game open. Six of those 12 points came as a result of offensive rebounds.
Down the stretch the Italians were forced to foul and the Boomers kept their cool to ice the game from the free throw line.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark bendigoadvertiser.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter @BgoAddy
- Follow us on Instagram @bendigoadvertiser
- Join us on Facebook
- Follow us on Google News