PERTH (Australia) - Bryce Cotton powered the breakaway as Australia blasted the Philippines anew, 92-49, on Monday to head into the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 Asian Qualifiers' Second Round unbeaten.
The first-time Boomer came off the bench and provided instant impact, delivering 13 points to power the decisive 16-0 rally for the 24-8 lead late in the opening period to put themselves ahead the rest of the night.
The 6-time NBL MVP went on to finish with a game-high 21 points, spiked by a quartet of threes, and also tallied 2 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals as he proved yet again how valuable he could be for the program.
Big thanks to his efforts, the reigning two-time FIBA Asia Cup champions became the lone team to charge into the next round that starts August without a loss, as they secured the Group A top spot with a 6-0 record.
Take a look at which national team headed into Round 2 perfectly in previous editions - and how their respective campaigns eventually concluded:
World Cup Qualifiers | 2019 | 2023 |
Africa | Tunisia (Q) Nigeria (Q) | South Sudan (Q) Cote d'Ivoire (Q) |
Asia | None | Australia (Q) New Zealand (Q) |
Americas | None | Canada (Q) |
Europe | Spain (C) Germany (Q) France (Q) Lithuania (Q) | None |
Q = Qualified for the World Cup C = World Cup Champions
"Really happy with the way we defended for most of the game," lauded head coach Adam Caporn, as they held their Southeast Asian counterparts to their lowest output at least in the ongoing World Cup Qualifiers.
All of the home team's players scored at least 3 points in the triumph, with Cleveland Cavalier Tyrese Proctor coming through with 16 points alongside 4 rebounds and the same amount of assists plus 1 steal.
Mitch Creek delivered 13 points and 7 rebounds as he kick-started their offense - the veteran guard at one point outscored Gilas when he produced their first 8 points for an 8-5 start before Cotton took it from there.
Josh Bannan delivered a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds, while forward Keanu Pinder (9 points, 6 rebounds) and youngster Alex Condon (3 points, 8 rebounds) provided significant contributions in the rout.
The Aussies shot 40-percent all in all from the floor, including 56.7-percent from 2-point range as they pounded it inside to punish a Philippine team that became more undersized without the injured Justin Brownlee.
And to say that they struggled with their star winger could be an understatement - nobody from Gilas were able to score in double figures, with Dwight Ramos their leading scorer with only 9 points on 16 shots.
Kevin Quiambao and seasoned internationalist June Mar Fajardo made 8 points, while Mike Phillips provided some silver lining in the humiliating defeat as he finished with 6 points and 14 rebounds off the bench.
As long as their night was, the Filipinos still showed some fight, especially in the second chapter. They slowed the game down with their physicality and even won the period, 13-8, to head into the break down by 14.
But Team Australia would regroup in the dugout, and went on to pour 22 points in the third for a commanding 63-37 lead entering the payoff period as Tim Cone and his men eventually lost their fourth straight outing.
It didn't help, too, that the Philippines got reduced to only 10 healthy players after Juan Gomez de Liano suffered an apparent ankle injury at the 3:23-mark of the third upon contesting a shooting Angus Glover.
Aside from the Boomers' firepower and quality, fatigue sure caught up on the Philippines, as they were coming off a grueling 106-102 double-overtime defeat to budding rivals New Zealand last Friday in Auckland.
"That second quarter was really difficult for us, the way they were drawing fouls and slowing the game, and their level of physicality," Caporn said. "Obviously, I love how the players responded at halftime."
Australia and the rest of the Group A teams will now turn their attention to the Second Round that starts in August, where they will be forming Group E together with Group C sides Iran, Jordan, and Syria.
"We've thought a lot about that. We respect everyone and we're just treating every position of basketball we play the same and that is being at a very high standard while wearing the green and gold," Caporn said.
"But that window will be tough," he added. "My understanding is that it will be on neutral sites, and we're looking forward to the next step of the challenge - we took care of business here, and on we go."
FIBA