By Dionysis Aravantinos / info@eurohoops.net
SHANGHAI – Australia managed to qualify to the FIBA Basketball semifinals after defeating the Czech Republic 82-70. They’ll face Spain in Beijing on Friday.
Heading into the final 15 minutes, the game was tied at 43. However, the Australians went on an incredible 14-0 run which eventually decided the game, putting them up 57-43. Chris Goulding and Andrew Bogut came off the bench, changing the tempo and sparking the run. Until that point, neither team had managed to gain a solid lead of six points.
The Czech Republic tried to come back with a run of their own cutting the deficit to double-digits (65-57) as Tomas Satoransky started to find his groove. The Aussies responded well with Mathew Dellavedova leading the offense, gaining fouls and assisting his teammates (73-60).
For yet another game, Patty Mills was the top scorer with 24 points. The Spurs guard also added six assists and three rebounds. Chris Goulding and Andrew Bogut (who got booed by the Chinese fans) came off the bench and provided great minutes to coach Andrej Lemanis with their energy and efficiency. Bogut finished with 10 points in 12 minutes, while Goulding finished with 14 points.
As for the losing side, Patrik Auda had a great game with 21 points. Satoransky flirted yet again with the triple-double, but he fell one rebound short. He finished the game with 13 points, 13 assists, and nine rebounds.
At the half, Australia was up by only three points, 33-30. Patty Mills had already scored 16 points. Meanwhile, Patrik Auda’s 13 half points and 20 bench points helped Ronen Ginzburg’s squad.
Photo Credit: FIBA.Basketball