CRO/AUS - Croatia gun down Boomers in Beijing
Croatia’s shooters sent Australia crashing to a humiliating 97-82 defeat on the opening day of the men’s basketball tournament at the Beijing Games. Jasmin Repesa’s team, who played the Aussies in three friendlies before going to Athens and having a successful FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, made 12 of 16 shots from long range and led by as many as 29 points in the fourth quarter.
BEIJING (Olympics) – Croatia’s shooters sent Australia crashing to a humiliating 97-82 defeat on the opening day of the men’s basketball tournament at the Beijing Games.
Jasmin Repesa’s team, who played the Aussies in three friendlies before going to Athens and having a successful FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, made 12 of 16 shots from long range and led by as many as 29 points in the fourth quarter.
"I am extremely happy with this win," Repesa said to FIBA.com.
"We had already played three times this summer against them but they were without Andrew Bogut, their best player.
“Australia is a very strong team but we have played in my opinion a very good game on defense and offense.
"Our three-point shooting has been incredible, in the first half we were seven of eight from behind the arc and we finished with a percentage higher than 70.”
While getting to China was a grind for all of the teams that took part in the qualifying event, the tournament appears to have done the Croatians good.
"We have been under pressure in Greece where it was do or die there,” Repesa said.
“Here it's different because we are not favourites, so we don't have that kind of pressure and we know that we are able to play against anyone.”
Croatia are not short of world class players, with CSKA Moscow guard Zoran Planinic among them.
Planinic only needed to play 16 minutes because of the ease with which the team won, but he was effective with 10 points, making both of his three-pointers.
“It’s unbelievable,” Planinic said to FIBA.com.
“We played them three times before the qualifying event in Athens, and I think when (Andrew) Bogut plays, they’re not as quick because he must not be 100%.
“Our strength is that we play team basketball. It’s not just one player, but 12 players.”
Indeed, seven Croatians hit three-pointers with Marko Tomas a perfect four of four. Marko Banic led the team with 16 points.
Croatia went on a 7-0 run to take a 19-12 lead and gradually built on that to go on top 47-31 by half-time.
Australia cut Croatia’s lead to 54-43 four minutes into the second half on a Brad Newley three-pointer but Repesa’s team outscored them 19-10 the rest of the period for a 73-53 advantage.
The lead ballooned to 29 before Australia chipped away at deficit at the end.
FIBA