AUS - Exum, Motum in fine fettle for Boomers

KLAIPEDA (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Australia, as the saying goes, are in a good place right now.

Looking for their first podium finish at a major tournament, Australia clinched morale-boosting wins over Finland and Ukraine over the weekend in Klaipeda.

Andrej Lemanis' side prevailed over the Finns, 100-95, and followed that up with a 75-60 thumping of the Ukrainians.

The Boomers face another big test on Tuesday when they go up against Lithuania in Klaipeda.

The Lithuanians are No. 4 in the FIBA bwin Ranking Men and hosts of the friendly tournament.

They will also be among the opponents of Australia in Group D at the World Cup.

Brock Motum, who earned his place in the squad with solid performances in the Sino-Australia Challenge, continues to grow in confidence.

He had 17 points against the Finns.

Rising star Dante Exum suffered a minor ankle injury during the first victory but overcame the niggle and played against Ukraine, scoring a team-high 14 points.

Ryan Broekhoff says he and his Australia teammates are upbeat, but also conscious of the need to get better before their FIBA Basketball World Cup Group D opener in Gran Canaria against Slovenia in 19 days.

"Obviously there are areas we need to keep improving," he said, "but it's a long build-up to the tournament and our preparation allows us to do some fine tuning to get us to where we want to be."

FIBA