By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Australia’s perfect run in the 2019 FIBA World Cup continued on Saturday with the Boomers overcoming the Dominican Republic. The winning side never lost the lead after the first minutes, but was tied four times in the second half before securing the “W” in the final minutes of the Group L game at Nanjing.
“We had some looks that we would normally make, but we shot 46% from the field, 33% from the three-point line. We had 30 assists, which is pretty amazing. Every basket was assisted. The 16 turnovers is the negative” Andrej Lemanis pointed out in the post-game press conference.
“Credit to the Dominican Republic for going after us, perhaps putting us on our backs in some occasions” the 50-year-old head coach added. “Our guys fought threw it and found their way to 4-0. It was one of those games. You expect the floodgates to open and they didn’t. It was a result of some of the decision we made.”
Despite being booed from the crowd, Andrew Bogut contributed to the win with 8 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. “He is the ultimate professional. His ability to impact us in a positive manner is substantial” noted Lemanis. “He is a great rim protector and offensively he is such a great passer. We appreciate what he does for this group.”
“It has been interesting watching Joe Ingles’ rise through his career” he replied to a question on his 31-year-old forward. “Once he is on your team, you understand his positive impact to the game. He makes the pass, he understands offenses, he can play the point, he can play off the ball, he is long, athletic, he can rebound, reads well defensively. Like all of our guys, he is prepared to play in the best interest of the team. He does not care if he does not score a point.”
“We are a competitive group. That is part of what makes us a good basketball team. We want to perform all the time” evaluated the Australian boos before commenting on his national team’s next challenge: “France is long and athletic, good defensively and they execute offensively. We see them playing a lot like ourselves, the way they share the ball and handle the defensive end.”
Photo Credit: FIBA.BASKETBALL