Australia led this one from wire-to-wire as they cruised past Lithuania en route to their first semifinals appearance in the men’s basketball tournament since 2000.
Patty Mills led all scorers with 24 points and continued his assault from long range, sinking five three-pointers. The Aussie offense continues to run through Andrew Bogut, who only had six points, but also dished out six assists and collected seven rebounds.
Lithuania’s Jonas Valanciunas had a quiet game when his team needed him most. He scored five points to go along with eight rebounds. Mantas Kalnietis and Antanas Kavaliauskas paced the Lithuanians with 12 points apiece.
Australia was hot from all over the floor, sinking ten 10 triples at a 40% clip, and shooting 52.4% from the field. That was in stark contrast to Lithuania who shot 26.7% from three and a shockingly low 33.3% from the charity stripe, down from their tournament average of 73.3%.
With the win, Australia moves on to the semifinals where they will face the winner of Croatia vs. Serbia. The Boomers are looking for their first Olympic medal in men’s basketball.