Slovenia whip Aussies to reach FIBA Worlds quarter-finals
Slovenia made short work of Australia to advance to the 2010 FIBA World Championships quarter-finals.
The Slovenians, who finished second to the United States in Group B, dominated the Australians from the opening tip, en route to an easy 87-58 victory at the Sinan Erdem Dome in Istanbul on Sunday.
A 12-0 start gave Memi Becirovic's squad an early momentum. Jaka Lakovic and Primoz Brezec led Slovenia's charge, combining for nine points in the quarter. Australia finally scored their opening basket after almost seven minutes of play. The Australians then posted a 6-0 run to trim their opponents' lead to half. The Slovenians ended the period with a 16-8 advantage.
Back-to-back treys from Sani Becirovic and Lakovic gave Slovenia a 22-8 cushion early in the second. The Slovenians remained on target throughout the period. Two free throws from Miha Zupan pushed Slovenia's lead to 32-14 with less than five minutes remaining in the quarter. The Europeans closed out the period with another run to take a 42-21 cushion at the break.
The Brett Brown-coached Australians played better in the third period but never came close to threatening the Slovenians. In fact, Slovenia even led by as many as 26 points. Brezec and former National Basketball Association player Bostjan Nachbar led the Slovenians in the third. The Europeans ended the quarter with a 71-45 lead.
With the outcome of the game already settled, the Slovenians slowed down in the fourth but still outscored the Boomers. Becirovic fielded his reserves in the latter stages of the quarter as Slovenia booked a spot in the last eight.
Lakovic top-scored for the Slovenians with 19 points, including five treys. Brezec, who plays for the Milwaukee Bucks, added 12 points and grabbed four rebounds. Goran Dragic had an outstanding all-round performance of 10 points, eight assists, four rebounds and two steals. Zupan added eight points while Uros Slokar also shot eight points off the bench. Becirovic, son of the head coach, also scored eight points. Patrick Mills and Joe Ingles led the Australians with 13 points apiece. Matt Nielsen had 12 points and eight rebounds.
While the Australians are going home, the journey continues for Slovenia. The bad news for the Slovenians is that they will face hosts Turkey in the quarter-finals. The Turks extended their winning run in the tournament to six games following their 95-77 demolition of France in the last 16.
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