The Australia Boomers finished atop Georgia 100-84 to cap off an underwhelming FIBA World Cup campaign in their final outing of tournament in Okinawa, Japan last night.
A dominant opening half saw the Boomers take a double-digit lead into the half before a third-quarter Georgian fightback breathed a little back into the contest only for Brian Goorjian’s Australians to hold on for a 16-point victory.
Dante Exum was excellent for the Boomers finishing with 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting to go along with four assists and no turnovers.
Patty Mills put up a team-high 19 on 6-of-12 shooting as well as a five assists whilst Josh Giddey added a measured 15 on 7-of-9 from the floor.
Duop Reath added 16 points on a perfect 3-of-3 from deep with Joe Ingles also finishing in double figures with 10.
Australia’s rebounding concerns continued giving up 15 Georgian offensive rebounds but their three-point shooting numbers were superb finishing 14-of-31 (45.2 per cent).
Goga Bitadze was huge for the Georgians putting up 20 points and five rebounds whilst Thaddus McFadden added 18 points and nine assists.
Fresh off a bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, many expected the Boomers to again challenge for a top-three finish but a pre-quarterfinals exit raises some uncomfortable questions surrounding scheme and roster construction.
The loss of Jock Landale prior to the tournament was a big blow but the Australians looked out of sorts for much of the tournament particularly in their decisive losses to Germany and Slovenia.
The 2024 Paris Olympics are only 12 months away with the squad desperate not to repeat their failings of their 2023 World Cup campaign.
