FIBA World Cup: Australian Boomers v Team China news, scores and reaction

In front of a record crowd, the Boomers produced a late tsunami of points to ensure their World Cup qualification record remains unblemished.

Matthew Dellavedova celebrates against China (Photo by Morgan Hancock/Getty Images)

It wasn’t the prettiest for much of the night, but it was the most entertaining of Australia’s three FIBA World Cup qualifiers in Melbourne.

And it ended with a remarkable Boomers’ tsunami that ensured their qualification record remains unblemished thanks to a 71-48 win over China.

In front 9043 fans at John Cain Arena — the largest crowd to watch an organised basketball game in Victoria since the state shut down during the pandemic — the margin was two points at quarter time, one point at halftime and all square at the last break, before the Boomers piled on 14 straight points to open the final quarter and held China to just three points in the entire period to break Team Dragon’s heart.

The result didn’t necessarily reflect the pluck the Chinese players showed — and the vocal chants from the supporting crowd were infectious.

They began with one fan shouting “Zhong guo dui” which translates to “Team China” or “Chinese Team” and the entire crowd replies in unison with “Jia You”, which means something along the lines of “step on the gas” or “cheers” or “go, go”. It made for a fantastic atmosphere inside John Cain Arena.

Matthew Dellavedova celebrates against China (Photo by Morgan Hancock/Getty Images)

In a dour opening, the Boomers didn’t look after the ball, handing it back to the Chinese five times in the first quarter, but they couldn’t hit water in the ocean, missing 10 of their 16 shots and still managing to take an 18-16 lead into the first break.

In the first three games of his young Boomers’ career, NBA Summer League-bound Jack White has become the team’s energiser and his aggressive roar after a big dunk has fast become a trademark he has carried from Melbourne United to the international stage.

He launched a pair of those in the second quarter to charge the Aussie support.

White gets on a plane bound for Denver on Monday morning as he prepares for his first taste of NBA Summer League.

“What’s the time right now? 8.45pm? I’ll be at the airport in 12 hours,” White said after the win.

“I’ll be in Denver by 12.30 American time tomorrow and then get stuck into camp and head to Vegas for Summer League.

“I’m excited, I haven’t really been thinking about that a lot.

“I’ve just really been trying to enjoy this whole experience with the Boomers.

“It has been something I’ve been dreaming of doing my whole life, so I’ve just really been trying to soak up every moment of it and I’m stoked that we came home with three wins.”

Jack White has become a key energiser (Graham Denholm/Getty Images)

White said the Boomers’ experience exceeded his expectations.

“Being surrounded by such great people, the culture is second-to-none, and you can tell that’s been a focus within the program of Delly being the head of the snake, Goorj being the coach and his experience with the Olympics. Joe (Ingles), you see him here, Chris (Goulding) is here, all these guys that have been around the program for years have made it something really special.”

It’s usually the Boomers dishing it out but the Chinese were here for the physical challenge. Will McDowell-White got absolutely hammered at the cup by Zhao Rui after Zhu Junlong gave White a shove in the back on his way up the court and wore an unsportsmanlike foul for his troubles.

China jumped out to a six-point lead in the third, but that was quickly erased by the emergent McDowell-White who, after playing a starring role against Japan on Friday night, potted back-to-back three-pointers.

China skipped out again but, from there, it was captain Dellavedova who took things into his own hands.

His late three in the third helped restore parity and his second gave the Boomers a four-point lead early in the fourth, which was stretched by White and then McCarron, who each hit their own deep balls to make it double digits.

A riotous alley-oop from Dellavedova to Thon Maker started the party.

Game. Over.

Thon Maker in action for the Boomers (William West / AFP)

White led the way with 16 points and tore down 14 rebounds in a starring role, with Dellavedova and Maker adding 13 each.

Coach Brian Goorjian’s goal was to keep Chinese tower Zhou Qi in check and the Aussies did that beautifully, restricting him to just five points as fellow giant Zhelin was best with 12.

Goorjian said the Boomers’ remarkable 26-3 ending to the game was driven wholly by the players.

“Honestly, there wasn’t a lot of instruction from me,” Goorjian said.

“There was a lot of conversation amongst them (at three-quarter time) that ‘it’s time now’ and they felt like they had them on their heels at the end of the third quarter.

“It was the feel the group had on how the (third) quarter ended.

“This is what the Boomers’ strength is, the confidence, I kind of shut my mouth and let them talk.”

Goorjian rolled out a three-guard line-up in the fourth with Dellavedova, Mitch McCarron and McDowell-White.

“We moved Blanchfield out and brought in that third guard and things opened up from there, both on the offensive and defensive end.”

THESE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT

With forwards Jack McVeigh and Clint Steindl injured, Goorjian called up boom teen prospect Tyrese Proctor, 18, and St Mary’s product Alex Ducas. Much-hyped Proctor, of Sydney, last month, committed to powerful US College Duke — the same program Boomers teammate White came out of.

Geraldton native Ducas, 21, has followed a long line of Aussies through St Mary’s, including his captain Dellavedova and NBA guard Patty Mills. He checked into the game for his Boomers debut with 4.4 seconds left in the half. Proctor has donned the green and gold previously and he took the floor in the last, when the game was put to bed.

MOVING ON UP

The Boomers, China and Japan advance to the second round of World Cup qualifying. Winless Chinese Taipei — crushed by Japan in the earlier game, 89-49, bowed out of calculations.

The Akatsuki Five were automatic qualifiers, owing to their hosting rights, and were led, for the second game in a row, by scoring machine Keisei Tominaga, who had 17. Tang Wei-Chieh had a nice game for the defeated team, scoring almost a third of their points with a 15-point, 10 rebound double double.