Boomers edge Flames in a thriller

Updated October 19, 2012 23:46:51

Bulleen picked up its first win of the WNBL season with an exciting 81-79 triumph over Sydney Uni on Friday night.

A crucial steal by Rachel Jarry in the dying stages secured the victory for the visiting Boomers, as the Flames missed out on their first win of the new campaign.

Tess Madgen dominated with 28 points, seven assists and six rebounds for Bulleen, while Lauren King finished with 23 points for the hosts.

Tags: wnbl, basketball, sport, sydney-2000, nsw, australia, bulleen-3105, vic

First posted October 19, 2012 23:06:13

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Russians take basketball bronze in thriller

Updated August 13, 2012 00:18:09

Russia has won the men's basketball bronze medal, beating Argentina 81-77 in a thrilling finish in London.

It was a close encounter for most of the match, and there was never more than a few points difference between the sides in the final quarter.

Young star Alexey Shved caught fire to lead the Russians to victory in a game that had 17 lead changes and was tied a dozen times.

Russia used a third-quarter hot streak to take an 11-point lead but Argentina closed the quarter with seven straight points to make it 61-57.

Shved, 23, scored seven points in a row for Russia to snap a 64-64 deadlock and lift them to a 71-66 fourth-quarter lead.

A pair of three-pointers for Argentina by Andres Nocioni and Manu Ginobili tied the game 72-72 and a twisting, left-handed reverse lay-up by Ginobili gave the Argentines a 77-76 lead and the inside track for the medal with 44 seconds left.

Shved then stepped up and drilled a three-pointer to put Russia ahead 79-77 and after a three-point try from the corner by Nocioni rattled around the rim and out, a fast-break lay-up by Vitaliy Fridzon completed the scoring.

"I played two games bad but the third game is my game," said Shved, a long-haired guard who struggled with his consistency in the tournament.

"It is one of the best moments in my life. When you come to an Olympic Games and win a medal - not every athlete can do this."

Andrei Kirilenko, the veteran forward and leader of the team, was excited about Russia's return to the podium for the first time since taking bronze at the Sydney Games in 2000.

"I feel like it's a gold medal," he said. "I think we did a very good job today. In the second half when we fell down we stayed together to get that win."

At the buzzer, the Russians collapsed one after another into a heap at the top of the key to celebrate.

Shved led all scorers with 25 points, 13 of them coming in the pressure-packed fourth quarter, with former NBA All-Star Kirilenko adding 20 and Fridzon contributing 19 points.

Ginobili, with 21 points, was top scorer for Argentina, whose medals streak was snapped after claiming gold in 2004 and bronze in 2008.

"It was a very tough game. It could've gone for either one," said Ginobili. "In the last seconds anything can happen. At the end their shots went in and ours went in and out."

ABC/Reuters

Tags: sport, basketball, olympics-summer, united-kingdom, russian-federation

First posted August 12, 2012 22:25:54

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Bendigo beat Caps in WNBL thriller

Updated January 15, 2012 20:44:35

A last second basket from Bendigo captain Kristi Harrower lifted the Spirit to a 71-70 WNBL win over Canberra at the AIS Arena on Sunday.

Down by eight points with less than two minutes remaining, the visitors scored nine unanswered points to edge the Capitals.

Gabe Richards top-scored for Bendigo with 16 points, while Tess Madgen and Deanna Smith both added 14.

Harrower contributed nine points, seven assists, five rebounds and three steals.

Bendigo's win broke a three-game winning run for the hosts and moved the Spirit into equal third with Sydney on the WNBL ladder.

The victory also capped a great weekend for Bendigo who defeated Dandenong 84-77 on Friday night.

With just five rounds to play Bendigo look set for a finals berth while Canberra (7-10) face a tough task in the run home.

West Coast was beaten again on Sunday, going down 75-56 to Dandenong.

AIS was given a 91-53 lesson from six-placed Logan (8-6) with the heavy loss coming a couple of days after the Canberra-based team were beaten 82-60 by Townsville.

AAP

Tags: wnbl, basketball, sport, canberra-2600, act, australia, bendigo-3550, vic

First posted January 15, 2012 20:44:35

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Boomers take down China in thriller

Posted June 25, 2011 13:12:00

Australia opened its two-match international basketball series with a thrilling 67-65 overtime win over China in Perth on Friday night.

The under-strength Boomers side, which featured just three members of the team that competed in last year's World Championships, struggled against their more experienced opponents at times but held off a late comeback to earn the win.

China trailed by seven points with just two minutes left in regulation time, but tied the score with 23 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime after Daniel Kickert missed his attempted game-winner as time expired.

But it mattered little as China's Shipeng Wang's three-point attempt to win the game at the end of overtime bounced off the rim and Australia held on.

In an experimental line-up from Australian coach Brett Brown, which was missing the likes of Andrew Bogut and Patrick Mills, it was some of his more experienced players who led the Boomers to victory.

Perth Wildcats guard Damian Martin impressed in front of his home fans, helping Australia to victory with 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

Melbourne Tigers centre Luke Nevill (20 points and 13 rebounds) also played well as the Boomers warmed up for September's qualifying series for the London Olympics against New Zealand.

Wang's outside shooting proved a major thorn in Australia's side, hitting four three-pointers on his way to 22 points for a China team which was without NBA stars Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian.

Australia was impressive early and jumped out to a five-point quarter-time lead, but China, which is ranked 10th in the world, just one place behind the Boomers, lifted its game late in the second to cut a nine-point deficit to just one at the half.

China carried its momentum into the start of the third quarter to extend its advantage to six early in the period.

But the hosts fought back with 17 of the first 23 points in the final quarter and appeared to be on course for a comfortable win before China's miraculous comeback sent the game to an overtime period where Australia narrowly held on.

Game two of the series is in Singapore on Sunday.

- AAP

Tags: sport, basketball, australia, wa, perth-6000, china

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