The Boomers have reached the Asia Cup final after extending their unbeaten run to five games with a convincing 92-48 defeat of Iran at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.<\/p>\n
Victory has set up a Sunday showdown with similarly undefeated 16-time champion China which defeated New Zealand in their semi-final.<\/p>\n
FIBA Asia Cup<\/p>\n
Semi-finals<\/p>\n
Australia 92 (McVeigh 17, Wessels 16) def Iran 48 (Vahedi 11)China 98 (Zhao Rui 24, Wang Junjie 14) def New Zealand 84 (Britt 21, King 19)<\/p>\n
Australia to play China in final, Iran to play New Zealand in bronze medal game<\/p>\n
For Australia the result means a shot at a third straight Asia Cup title and an opportunity to keep their perfect record in the competition intact.<\/p>\n
Boomers star William Hickey, who was named player of the game, lavished praise on his teammates, saying “we are proud of how, down to the last man, we handled ourselves well”.<\/p>\n
“If you can play defence you can always win games. I’m proud of just everyone down the line contributing today,” he said.<\/p>\n
Every Boomers player got on the scoreboard in a performance that showcased depth, discipline and dominance.<\/p>\n
Jack McVeigh led the way with 17 points and three triples, while Harry Wessels had 16 and Hickey 14 as Australia dominated proceedings in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
Hickey added six rebounds and as many assists in an all-around display, while Wessels provided a steady defensive presence.<\/p>\n
Owen Foxwell set the tone early with steals and a key three-pointer, and Jack White delivered highlight-reel slams to keep the energy high.<\/p>\n
For Iran, Sina Vahedi top-scored with 11 points including two triples, while Mobin Sheikhi had eight points, four rebounds and three assists.<\/p>\n
Star forward Mohammad Amini was limited to just two points on 1-of-9 shooting as the Boomers’ defence smothered his usual offensive spark.<\/p>\n
Australia weathered Iran’s early shots in the first quarter, answering with back-to-back triples from McVeigh and Reyne Smith plus a technical foul free throw to close the period up 27-20.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Owen Foxwell hit a big three-pointer to help send the Boomers on their way to the Asia Cup final with a win over Iran. (Supplied: FIBA)<\/p>\n
From there, the Boomers found another gear.<\/p>\n
The second quarter saw a 24-9 burst led by Foxwell’s perimeter shooting and inside dominance from White, Will Magnay and Wessels, giving the Aussies a 51-29 half-time cushion.<\/p>\n