SKIP TO MAIN CONTENT

Boomers belt hapless Germany

Australia produced a sensational display of international basketball to beat Germany 78-43 and put them within reach of the knockout stage of the world championship in Turkey.

boomers_training_100831_L_getty_1950169899

3 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Skip to article content

Showing no signs of a let-down after Sunday's tough two-point defeat by world No.1 Argentina, the Australians stunned their European opponents from the opening whistle to move to 2-1 for the tournament with two group games remaining.

One victory against either Serbia or Angola will be enough for Australia to progress from an extremely competitive Group A, while two wins will ensure they avoid fourth place and a likely crossover match against the United States.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Patty Mills was outstanding, leading the way with 16 points and seven assists, backed up by Joe Ingles and Aleks Maric, but it was a complete team effort that will have other sides in the tournament taking note.

Robin Benzing led Germany with 11 points, but they lost every quarter and were comprehensively outplayed.

The Germans needed a wildcard to make it to Turkey and came without their two best players, NBA superstar Dirk Nowitzki and Los Angeles Clippers centre Chris Kaman.

But the world's seventh-ranked team had emerged as the surprise packet of Group A, just falling to Argentina before a double-overtime victory against Serbia on Sunday.

So Australia's performance was unexpected and demonstrates just how much potential the youthful Boomers possess.

The Germans used a tall starting line-up, including seven-footers Tibor Pleiss and Jan-Hendrik Jagla plus the 208cm Robin Benzing, but it fed into Australia's hands as the quicker Boomers got off to a blistering start.

Clicking beautifully on both ends of the floor, they bolted to a 12-2 lead in the first seven minutes and by quarter time held a 19-7 advantage.

The shell-shocked Germans scored five quick points early in the second term to get the margin back under double figures, but Australia immediately responded with a 15-2 scoring run to take a commanding 36-14 lead.

Brad Newley, who had an excellent first half, put an exclamation mark on a scintillating opening two quarters when he blocked a shot attempt by the 214cm German giant Pleiss.

The Boomers led 38-20 at halftime, holding Germany to just 27 per cent shooting (8-of-30).

There was no sign of complacency in the second half either, with the ruthless Australians reeling off seven straight points to start the third quarter.

Australia doubled Germany's score 50-25 on an Ingles three-pointer and from there it was a procession in a major boost to the Boomers' confidence.


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world