From the Advertiser.
Bruised Boomers take beating
27jul05
Australia 57 Argentina 88
THE Australian men's basketball team have been thumped on the opening night of the Stankovic Cup in Beijing.
Starting point guard C.J. Bruton was floored in the first quarter by a savage blow to the groin but returned in the second-half to lead Australia's scoring with 21 points.
Back-up point guard Luke Martin was taken to hospital with a serious foot injury and is not expected to play for the rest of the tournament.
Coach Brian Goorjian was less than impressed with his young side's display, scoring just 18 points in the first-half.
"We seemed to play on the back foot when they applied pressure on us," he said.
"We didn't plug the gaps on the defensive end, and our shooting percentages were too low."
The Cup, which offers total prizemoney of $US175,000 ($229,870), is being contested by Australia, China, Lithuania, Angola, Argentina and Puerto Rico.
The Boomers will regroup today and prepare to take on the size and might of Puerto Rico tomorrow.
Australia, Lithuania and China fly to Perth following the competition - and will be joined by New Zealand - for the Four-Nations Tournament on August 9 and 10 at Challenge Stadium.