AUS/CHN - Australia and China fight out two thrillers

Singapore (FIBA Oceania Championship/FIBA Asia Championship) - The Australian Boomers have claimed two hard fought victories over China to take out the inaugural YouYi Games series.

The series, organised by former Boomers great Andrew Vlahov and expected to be a yearly occurrence, saw games played in Perth and Singapore in front of crowds totalling more than 10,000.

The games are part of the teams' preparations ahead of this summer's continental championships with qualification for the London Olympics at stake.

Australia will host New Zealand in the FIBA Oceania Championship on September 7, 9 and 11 in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney, with the winners earning automatic qualification into the Olympic Basketball Tournament.

China hosts the FIBA Asia Championship from 15 to 25 September in Wuhan, with the winner of the tournament also qualifying for London.

Game 1 of the YouYi series in Perth was an overtime thriller thanks to the exploits of veteran FIBA World Championship small forward Wang Shipeng, who scored 22 points on four of seven from three-point range to drag his team back from 28-19 down with 3:30 to play in the second quarter to lead at halftime.

China also charged back from seven points down with just two minutes to play in the fourth quarter to tie the score at 62 and force overtime, thanks to a tough driving basket by Wang Zhi Zhi with 22 seconds remaining.

The Boomers started quickest in the extra period and hung on for a 67-65 win. Ironically, Wang Shipeng had a chance to win the game but his three-pointer with time expiring in overtime rimmed out. Twenty-one-year-old Zhejiang forward Jinhui Ding impressed with 10 rebounds and two blocks in 34 minutes.

For Australia, 2010 FIBA World Championship debutant Damian Martin was their best player with 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Despite missing a number of easy baskets, former Melbourne Tigers and Triumph Liberty centre Luke Nevill contributed 20 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks to be a key player in the paint.

Game 2 was in Singapore two nights later and China suffered a major setback before tip-off with Wang Zhi Zhi and point guard Liu Wei ruled out of the game.

With two starters out, along with Yi Jianlian who did not take part in the series, the team ranked 10th in the world were looked outclassed by the Boomers, who stretched their lead to 15 points in the second quarter behind the play of Olympic and FIBA World Championship veteran David Barlow (22 points), who had 16 points by halftime.

Once again though, it was Wang Shipeng who led a second quarter resurgence, dragging his team back to within six points at half time, 32-26. Australia would still lead by nine points three quarter time lead, but China finished strongly.

Guandong youngster Zhou Peng hit a number of clutch shots and the Chinese defence suffocated the inexperienced Australians.

When Yi Li hit a tough basket the margin was just three points with two minutes to play, but a welcome three-pointer from Townsville Croc Peter Crawford and four points to the impressive Jesse Wagstaff sealed a 62-57 victory for Australia and a clean sweep of the series.

Paulo Kennedy

FIBA