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 enter the next round that starts August without a loss - the first time that it has happened in the Asian Qualifiers.
Take a look at which national team that headed into Round 2 perfectly in past editions - and how their respective campaigns eventually concluded:
Undefeated Teams in First Round of World Cup Qualifiers and how they fared
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
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.
*This article will be updated.