Second quarter lifts Boomers past Bahrain

Adelaide 36ers captain Mitch McCarron led from the front as the Boomers defeated Bahrain 83-51 in their 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifier at the State Basketball Centre in Melbourne on Thursday night.

McCarron hauled in eight rebounds and dished five assists as the Boomers asserted their authority with a 27-5 second quarter to setup the 32-point victory.

Bahrain started the match well and managed to keep the contest close in the first quarter but after falling prey to a 23-0 run throughout most of the second quarter, 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 to be played in Melbourne on Sunday afternoon.

Todd Blanchfield had a game-high 20 points, while Isaac Humphries had 18 points to go with six rebounds. Nick Kay and Rhys Vague both added 13 points as four Boomers scored in double-digits in this game.

For Bahrain, Wayne Chism was as dominant as expected with 15 points, 11 rebounds, four steals, two assists and two steals.

AUSTRALIA 83 (Blanchfield 20, Humphries 18, Kay 13, Vague 13) def BAHRAIN 51 (Chism 15, Haji 14) at the State Basketball Centre, Melbourne.

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