China win sixth straight in Djordjevic's debut, Boomers dominate at home

BEIRUT (Lebanon) - China and Australia clinch wins in the first gameday of Window 6 over Kazakhstan and Bahrain, respectively.

The Boomers were the first to confirm a victory as they cruised to a win over Bahrain in Melbourne, 83-51.

The visitors managed to keep it close in the first quarter but after falling prey to a 23-0 run throughout most of the second interval, Bahrain trailed by double-digits the rest of the way.

The win is the Boomers’ ninth of the Asian Qualifiers and they will aim to be the only team to reach 10 wins in Group F in their upcoming game against Kazakhstan, again played in Melbourne.

Four Boomers scored in double-digits in this game, as they collected 26 assists on the way to the win. For Bahrain, Wayne Chism was as dominant as expected with 15 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 4 steals.

China also led through their entire game against Kazakhstan on the way to a 71-59 win, but it the Steppen Wolves tried to apply pressure on their counterparts by closing into as close as 8 points in the fourth quarter.

The lead grew to as much as 24 points at halftime which was enough for China despite Kazakhstan’s late-game efforts.

China’s big men went to work in this game with Zhou Qi posting a double-double and Wang Zhelin posting a productive 7 points and 6 rebounds.

Kazkakhstan’s ironman Rustam Murzagaliev had an all-around game in the losing effort with 13 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals.

Turning points: There were no turning points here as both China and Australia led from start to finish in their wins.

Game Heroes: Todd Blanchfield had 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists on 4 three-pointers, while Isaac Humphries had 18 points and 6 boards on 8-10 shooting from the field. Efficient work.

Likewise, China’s Zhou Qi and Wang Zhelin combined for 23 points on 9-12 shooting from the field to go with 18 rebounds.

Stats don’t lie: Bahrain managed only 28.1 percent shooting from the field and that will usually make it tough to beat a team like Australia.

For Kazakhstan, what did them in was the 21 turnovers that made it tough to get into any consistent rhythm that could allow them to overtake China.

FIBA