Anonymous
Years ago

Boomers back in Melbourne for World Cup Qualifiers

After a pair of wins in the opening World Cup Qualifiers, the Australian Boomers will return to Melbourne for the next phase of their 2019 World Cup campaign.

The Boomers will take on the Philippines at Margaret Court Arena on February 22 before hosting Chinese Taipei at the same venue on February 25.

After the Australians dominated their first two games, winning by a combined margin of 63 points, the Philippines joined Australia at the top of their group after securing back-to-back wins of their own.

A victory for either team in their February 22 clash will all but confirm their progression to the second phase of the qualifying stage from September next year.

Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis said it was important for the Australian to secure two further wins in Melbourne.

"The first round of qualifiers showed just how tough the quality of competition is in this Asia region - we had to battle our way through both games against two very good teams. We know the difference a home crowd makes and I'm looking forward to playing in front of our fans in Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena," said Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis.

“Competing in meaningful games on home soil is such a special experience for our team. It was a wonderful experience seeing the reaction from our guys as we prepared to play in Adelaide during round one – the pride and sense of responsibility in each and every member of the team was amazing to witness. For those that were fortunate enough to be at the game live, I’m sure they would attest to the fact that feeling came through in the way the team played – they played hard, they played for each other and they played for the love of the country – a pretty special experience for all.”

“These two Melbourne games are key in terms of not only advancing to the next round, but also positioning ourselves favourably in the next round. I ask the Melbourne fans, who have always been great basketball fans, to come and help us on the journey, and in the process, get to experience the true feeling and meaning of international basketball – it doesn’t get much better than this”

Victorian Minister for Tourism & Major Events, John Eren, said it was important that Melbourne had won the right to host the next round of qualifiers.

We’re working hard to host the games that matter most – and that’s exactly what we’re doing” Mr Eren said.
“Victoria is the nation’s sporting capital so it makes sense that our Boomers will play two of FIBA World Cup Qualifiers here in February”
Tickets for February's qualifiers go on sale through www.ticketek.com.au from 11am AEDT on Thursday 14th December.

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