IT HAS been the perfect start to the 2025 FIBA Asia Cup for the Australian Boomers, with their 28-point win over Qatar ending a perfect run during the group stages of the tournament in Saudi Arabia over the weekend.

Following a pair of wins over Korea and Lebanon to start the tournament, the Boomers rounded out the group stages with a match against Qatar, a team that the Aussies have found plenty of success against in recent years. As championship favourites for this tournament, the Boomers were expected to get the job done on Sunday night.

Although it was a tense first half with Qatar putting up a hefty fight, the Boomers were able to break away and make their way to a comfortable win last night, which puts Australia straight through to the quarter finals later in the week.

Australian Boomers (110) def. Qatar (82)

Qatar was lively early, able to match the Boomers’ output and play a physical brand of basketball, adding some spice to the match. Things threatened to boil over when William Hickey bumped Brandon Goodwin, who stormed up the court to retaliate, before Xavier Cooks was able to de-escalate the situation and play resumed. After the first quarter, the Boomers held a slim two-point lead, and faced a strong challenge from the opposition.

The Boomers made some adjustment at the first change, but were still being challenged by Qatar, and could not quite get the game fully on their terms. Goodwin was playing a crucial role for the opposition on the scoring front, and kept his side in the contest whenever the Aussies were looking to make a run. At the main break, the Boomers held a three-point lead, but would need to lift in the second half if they were going to claim another big win.

A switch was flicked for Australia at half time, with Adam Caporn making some strong adjustments that opened up things on both sides of the floor. The Boomers began to find their rhythm on the offensive end and the margin was pushed out to 14 points at the final change as the match slipped away from Qatar.

The fourth quarter was the most one-sided of the match, with the Boomers not letting up and continuing to put the foot down offensively. Nearly all of their baskets were falling and Qatar simply could not keep up as the Aussies flexed their muscles. Australia won the final quarter 33-19 en route to another big win despite a first half scare.

Continuing his strong form, Jaylin Galloway starred for the Aussies, posting 24 points on an extremely efficient night, nailing eight of his 10 shots from the field including two triples. His match will be remembered for an enormous poster dunk late in the match, throwing the ball down over the opposition’s big man for an and-one that highlighted his athleticism.

New Cairns Taipans signing Reyne Smith also kept his impressive tournament rolling, posting 15 points while knocking down four triples, while Hickey finished with 15 points and eight assists of his own in a strong showing.

Goodwin was Qatar’s best, playing all 40 minutes and constantly looking to pester the opposition and create opportunities on the offensive end. He finished the match with 24 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals.

The Boomers will now have a few days off before their quarter final on Wednesday, with their opponent yet to be determined.