Australia set up it in the second half to beat Qatar, 110-82, and to make its way to the quarterfinals of Fiba Asia Cup 2025, Sunday in the King Abdullah Sports City.
The reigning dual champions started in the third before they broke shortly thereafter, so that the upset bid of their enemies was thwarted while they gained the first place in group A by gathering their third victory in so many competitions.
Now the Boomers will wait for the winner between hosts Saudi Arabia and the Philippines in qualifying to quarterfinals on Monday to determine their opponents in the last eight, which starts on Wednesday.
“I didn’t think we started very well defensively, but had been very defensive,” said head coach Adam Caporn. “Especially in the second half, in the third quarter, when our starters returned.”
“That played the competition for us,” added the seasoned mentor.
Five players finished in double digits in the routes, where winger Jaylin Galloway again showed the road with 24 points behind an excellent 8-of-10 shooting from the floor, including a few three-pointers.
Will Hickey came on with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists. Reyne Smith also got 15 points from the bank after 4-of-6 from Beyond the Arch because he was responsible for good leadership.
While the Aussies were struggling to get into their usual stream, the young guard came in and slapped a few Treys late in the second, the last of which gave the 46-43 advantage that the break took.
Galloway would then set the tone for the routes and scored seven in an 8-0 run to open the third Canto for a lead of 54-43. They would cast a total of 31 points in the aforementioned period to build a lead of 77-63, to never resolve.
Will Magnay delivered 11 points, while Jack McVeigh 10 added in the victory where Australia would shoot 56.5 percent thanks to their 21 assists, and the Rebound struggle by 45 to their census – 13 more than the opposition.
Brandon Goodwin, on the other hand, registered 24 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists plus 3 steals to lead Qatar, who started so strongly and even built an 18-13 lead but could not maintain that much.
Tyler Harris made 15 points. Babacar Dieng had 14 points, while Zineeddine Bedri and Alen Hadzibegovic added 13 points each when they ended the tournament without a victory in the three games they played.
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