THE AUSTRALIAN Boomers’ warm up clash heading into the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup worked nicely on Thursday night, with the national team defeating the University of Colorado Buffaloes on the Gold Coast.

With the Asia Cup set to kick off in Saudi Arabia in the coming week, the Boomers were slated to play a warm up contest against a college side in the Buffaloes before departing overseas. It would be a good test for not only the team, but also head coach Adam Caporn, with this clash marking his first time at the helm.

Colorado was going to prove a formidable challenge, given the visitors compete in the Division 1 Big 12 Conference, and were already warmed up with a few outings over the past few weeks seeing the team enter in some solid form.

Although the Aussies were forced to work for it by the Buffaloes, the Boomers ended up emerging victorious to the tune of six points, and will now head to Jeddah with some confidence following a strong display.

Australian Boomers (93) def. University of Colorado Buffaloes (87)

It was the perfect warm up match for the Boomers on Thursday night, who were challenged, but prevailed after four quarters of play, and now have a better understanding of their roster and style of play heading towards the ultimate challenge.

The Boomers started strongly, getting out to a lead in the first quarter and looking to make the most of home court advantage on the Gold Coast. The Buffaloes were trying to keep up, but trailed by four points at the first change, with some of Australia’s big names adapting to the new gameplan of Caporn nicely in the opening 10 minutes.

It was a solid response from the visitors in the second quarter, with the Buffaloes bouncing back to take control of the match with a late burst of offence. A 7-0 run in the dying minutes of the half saw Colorado snatch the momentum of the contest, and although a late three-pointer to Jaylin Galloway cut the Boomers’ deficit back to one-point, the hosts were certainly under the pump.

The Boomers flicked a switch in the third quarter, owning the contest on both ends of the floor as the Buffaloes found themselves overrun coming out of half-time. After the big names such as Jack McVeigh and William Hickey got the Aussies going in the opening minutes, it was the young guns in Galloway, Owen Foxwell and Reyne Smith that finished off the quarter strongly, leading Australia to a 27-18 third term and an eight-point buffer at the final change.

Despite the momentum shift in the third frame, the Buffaloes were not giving up without a fight, and cut the margin back within a point with six minutes to play when Jalin Holland splashed home a triple. However, the class of the Boomers shone through in the remainder of the quarter and the Aussies were simply too good down the stretch, holding on for a six-point win.

With McVeigh’s next move one of the biggest talking points in Australian basketball, the wing showed why he is highly sought after, posting 20 points and seven assists on 7/15 shooting from the field and 5/12 shooting from long range, in a performance that displayed why he is one of the nation’s most reliable performers.

Galloway was tremendous off the bench, providing a crucial spark with his offensive production to finish with 16 points and five boards on 5/8 shooting from the field. Another positive for the Aussies was the performance of recently signed Cairns Taipans sharpshooter Smith, who splashed home three triples to post 11 points off the bench.

For the Buffaloes, Isaiah Johnson was a healthy injection of offence off the bench, posting a team-high 19 points on 6/10 shooting, while Sebastian Ranick was not far behind with 16 points of his own as the duo tried to drag their side over the line.

The Boomers will now travel to Saudi Arabia, with their Asia Cup campaign set to kick off on Wednesday with a clash against Korea in the group stage.