ALTHOUGH it was a nervous match at times, the Australian Boomers have booked a spot in the second round of the 2023 FIBA World Cup after defeating the Japan Five Reds, 109-89 on Tuesday night.

After sustaining one win and one loss from its first two games, Australia needed to beat a Japan side that had the same record in the final of the Group E games. The Boomers and Five Reds were both bested by Germany in previous outings, and this marked the final chance to advance.

Although Australia came into the match as favourites, there was still an element of danger surrounding the matchup, given much of Japan’s undoing was related to wayward shooting, and if the host nation could get going, it would spell trouble for the Aussies. Home court advantage was also a dangerous prospect for the Boomers, given the crowd would vocally rally behind the Japanese.

Unlike previous games, the Boomers were the faster starting team, jumping out to an early lead and putting the pressure on Japan. Australia’s shooting woes continued but the Boomers found success pushing the ball inside against a Japan side that lacked size in the paint. At the first change, Australia led by eight points in a stronger start than previous performances.

Australia’s dominance continued into the second quarter, extending its lead further on the back of some excellent work from Joshua Giddey and Xavier Cooks. The pair worked extremely well in the pick and roll situations, accounting most of Australia’s offence as the Boomers stormed out to a 22-point half-time lead.

The Aussies were in the box seat heading into the second half, but Japan’s offence got rolling in the third quarter. Whether it was driving at Australia’s bigs or nailing jumpshots, the Five Reds were able to consistently find the bottom of the net.

However, an issue arose in the fact that they could not get defensive stops down the other end as the Boomers kept their own offence ticking over. However, the deficit was reduced down to 17 at the final change, and given Japan came from 10 down at the final change to defeat Finland just days earlier, anything was possible.

Japan gave it everything in the final quarter, getting the margin down to 14 at various stages with some excellent three-point shooting. However, a pair of crucial baskets from Giddey late in the match sealed Australia’s win as the Boomers went on to win by 20 points.

Giddey (26 points, five rebounds, 11 assists) and Cooks (24 points, 16 rebounds) led from the front for Australia, providing the most energy and playing crucial roles. For Japan, Joshua Hawkinson was the star of the show again with a game-high 33 points on 13/16 shooting from the field.

In the day’s remaining results, Germany delivered an emphatic win over Finland, while the Dominican Republic swept their group after defeating Angola by eight points. Egypt finished the group stage in style with a huge victory over Mexico, France claimed its first win of the tournament over Lebanon and Italy defeated the Philippines by seven points. Also in the day’s play, Lithuania bested Montenegro by 20 points, while Canada continued its dominance with a 26-point triumph over Latvia.