THE Australian Boomers were defeated by Brazil in the second match of the Boomers vs. World series, falling by four points at John Cain Arena on Wednesday night.

The game was shifted back a couple of hours to avoid a clash with the FIFA Women’s World Cup, and the Boomers entered the contest in strong form. Australia claimed a big win over Venezuela earlier in the week, and looked to back up that performance against a tougher opponent in Brazil, who downed South Sudan on the same night.

However, the Boomers encountered some serious struggles on the offensive end, delivering an off-night shooting the ball. Australia was on the back foot from the get-go, unable to get into as strong a rhythm on the offensive end as it did on Monday night.

The performance against Venezuela seemed a far-cry away, with the Boomers falling behind early in the match, unable to find their shooting touch. They missed 14 of their first 16 shots from the field, and could not get any of their eight three-point attempts to fall in the first quarter, trailing by 10 heading into the second term.

Australia seemingly had no answer for Brazil’s gameplan of driving the ball inside and kicking out to the shooters on the perimeter, which was a consistent source of offence and picked holes in the Boomers’ defence.

The loss of Chris Goulding‘s presence around the perimeter certainly did not help, as Australia’s three-point shooting resulted in a slow start.

However, Joshua Giddey began to lift as the game went on, and behind his efforts, the Aussies dragged themselves back into the contest, chipping away at the deficit in the second. A pair of Nick Kay three-pointers brought the hosts within two points at the main break.

Australia’s momentum continued into the second half, and after a cold start to the match, Patty Mills hit his first triple of the game to give the Aussies the lead halfway through the third term.

The Boomers’ hot streak kept rolling, as the margin went all the way up to nine points, with the game firmly in Australia’s grip. However, the disparity in three-point success proved to be hurting the Aussies again, as Brazil lit it up from behind the arc, and regained the lead with six minutes to play.

The Aussies tied things up shortly after, but it was too much, as Brazil answered every Boomers challenge, and held on for a four-point triumph.

Giddey was again the star for the Boomers, finishing with a double-double of 20 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, while Bruno Caboclo was the main man for Brazil with 20 points (9/14 FG) and 12 boards.

The Boomers take on South Sudan on Thursday night in the final match on home soil.