MELBOURNE (Australia) - Australia and Japan ended the first round with separate double-digit wins to close out Group B action in Window 3 of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers.

Late Flurry

China and Australia were toe-to-toe for three quarters until the Boomers used a 14-0 blast to open the fourth period and break the game wide open. Coach Brian Goorjian's wards continued to build on their lead and never looked back, completing a sweep of Group B with a 71-48 victory.

Coach Du Feng's squad kept in step with the home team, using a more deliberate and slower pace to minimize any opportunities for the Boomers to make a run. For most of the game, it worked, until that pivotal fourth quarter blast from the green and gold.

Jackson White tallied a monster double-double of 16 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Aussies, while Matthew Dellavedova and Thon Maker each scored 13. Chinese big man Zhou Qi was checked in this game, scoring just 5 points on 2-of-5 field goal shooting.

Cruising to win number 2

Japan have so far had an up-and-down series of games in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 Asian Qualifiers, but they wrapped up their first round matches with a convincing victory over East Asia rival Chinese Taipei, 89-49.

Chinese Taipei hung with Japan for the first six minutes of the match, but a strong finishing kick in the first quarter enabled the Japanese to take a 25-14 lead into the second period. Hotshots Keisei Tominaga and Tenketsu Harimoto combined for 20 of those 25 points, and their other teammates chipped in during the latter three quarters as Japan finished the first round at 2 wins and 4 losses.

Tominaga led the way for Japan with 17 points, while Soichiro Inoue stepped up with 14 points and 6 rebounds. Chinese Taipei were again paced by Bing Sheng Lin with 13 points.

Australia, China, and Japan all advance to the second round, where they will play the top three teams from Group D.

FIBA