Boomers overcome early scare in FIBA Asia Cup qualifier

The Boomers have survived a scare in their opening game of FIBA Asia Cup qualifying by erupting in the fourth quarter to register a come from behind 85-71 win against South Korea.

Australia trailed by two points at three quarter time but scored 32 points in the final term to emerge as 14-point victors. South Korea was in the lead for almost 30 minutes of the clash, but the Boomers’ slaloming final quarter meant the reigning Asia Cup champions were prevented from a surprise defeat.

The Boomers even trailed by as many as six points with just six minutes to go, but triples from Josh Bannan and DJ Vasiljevic pulled the game back to a tied score and ended the clash with a 30-10 run.

Bannan registered an 11-point, 11-rebound double double on his Boomers debut, while Vasiljevic had a team-high eight assists to complement his 14 points.

Veteran forward and Olympic bronze medallist Nick Kay led the scoring for the Boomers with 21 points.

Ra Gun-ah was an irresistible force in the paint for South Korea and was their only double-digit scorer for the game. He matched Kay’s 21 points and also pulled down 14 rebounds – six of which were offensive.

Australia’s next opponents, Indonesia, suffered a 17-point defeat in their opening qualifier to Thailand.

AUSTRALIA - 85 (Kay 21, Vasiljevic 14, Henshall 14)
SOUTH KOREA - 71 (Ra 21, Lee 9, Byeon 9)