Mitch Creek inspires unbeaten Australia into the second round

MELBOURNE (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - A flawless performance from Mitch Creek powered unbeaten Australia to a convincing 88-68 victory over Chinese Taipei in Group B action and qualification into the Asian Qualifiers second round.

It wrapped up a successful home stand in the second window for the Boomers, who easily beat the Philippines on Thursday. Chinese Taipei are in a fight to qualify for the second round having won just once from four games.

Creek was outstanding with 18 points and 9 rebounds in just 15 minutes as he barely played in the second-half with Australia well in control. His superb performance was highlighted by a perfect 9-of-9 shooting from the floor.

Ying-Chun Chen (22 points) and Quincy Davis (18 points and 11 rebounds) tried hard for Chinese Taipei and they each logged 37 minutes of playing time. But their efforts were in vain against the powerful Boomers, who outmuscled their opponents and dominated all areas of the game.

Despite being hot favorites, Australia did not take Chinese Taipei lightly and started slickly with precision from the floor. The Boomers scored 10 straight points early but the gritty Chinese Taipei impressively kept pace for much of the first-half. They struggled with their shooting but made several long bombs from beyond the arc to keep in touch.

Australia’s lead was just eight points midway through the second quarter before they went on a commanding 12-0 run to break the game open. They outworked Chinese Taipei and put their foot on the pedal to lead by a sizeable 22 points at half-time.

Chinese Taipei wouldn’t give up and narrowly outscored the Boomers in the third quarter but the game had already been well and truly decided. The Boomers cruised to victory in the fourth to complete another convincing performance.

In the third window, Australia will travel to the Philippines and Japan, while Chinese Taipei host those teams.