THE AUSTRALIAN Boomers have started their title defence at the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup in perfect fashion, opening their account with a massive 36-point win over South Korea on the first night of action.

The Boomers were clinical en route to victory, jumping out to an early lead in the first half and never looking back, flexing their muscles to showcase just how deep their roster is for the tournament.

Leading the way was recent Cairns Taipans signing, NBL Champion and former Houston Rocket Jack McVeigh, who was simply immense in the first half, showing why he is threatening to tear NBL26 apart with his scoring ability. He had 15 points and five three-pointers by half time, proving the difference between the Aussies and the South Koreans, before his teammates took over from there.

It was also an opportunity for a glimpse of upcoming NBL Next Star Dash Daniels, who was injected into the game in the final quarter with the result in the bag, and showed promise by knocking down a three-pointer and holding his own defensively as well, perfectly demonstrating how bright his future will be both in Australia and abroad.

The Boomers were off to a flying start to open the contest, dropping the first seven points of the match to snatch momentum in the opening minutes. Although South Korea steadied as the term rolled on, the Aussies led by eight points at the first change, and looked every bit the championship contender they were expected to be.

Australia continued to extend its margin out towards double-digits in the second term, not allowing the opposition to get any sort of momentum on the offensive end. When Jaylin Galloway knocked down the buzzer-beating three-pointer at half time, the Boomers led by 17 points, with McVeigh’s 15 points a true factor in the match.

The second half was all one-way traffic as well, with the Boomers stretching the margin out to 30 points at stages in the fourth quarter, continuing to prove too much to handle on the offensive end. The Boomers’ relentless effort defensively prevented South Korea from getting any sort of flow on the scoring front, while down the other end, the Boomers made it look easy, and cruised home to a 97-61 win in Saudi Arabia.

McVeigh finished the game with an equal match-high 20 points on 6/11 shooting from the field and 5/7 from behind the arc in a starring performance to kickstart the tournament in style. Galloway knocked down four triples to post 12 points himself, while William Hickey (11 points) and Xavier Cooks (10 points, seven rebounds) were the other standouts for Australia.

Junghyun Lee was South Korea’s best with an eye-catching 20 points on 8/18 shooting from the field to try and spark some offence for his team, while Illawarra Hawks sharpshooter Hyunjung Lee had 11 points matching up against NBL teammates and opponents.

The Boomers will now look towards their clash against the Philippines tonight, where they will look to remain unbeaten and firm towards another Asia Cup title.