May 25, 2012
FIBA Oceania 2011: Australia qualifies for London!
Game 2, New Zealand 64-81 Australia September 9, 2011

Brad Newley - Australia (Photo: FIBA)Australia reached the 2012 Olympic Games on Friday by beating New Zealand 64-81 behind 12 points from Lietuvos Rytas scoring ace Brad Newley! The victory means that the Aussies swept the series to claim the lone Oceania ticket to next summer’s games in London. New Zealand will take part in the pre-Olympic qualifying tourney to try and claim one of the final spots. It was a close game for three quarters and the Kiwis led 56-53 early in the fourth quarter after an Alex Pledger basket, but Australia simply dominated after that. Panathinaikos center Aleks Maric scored 7 during a 0-21 charge that simply blew New Zealand out of the water and set up the victory. Maric played a big role inside with 9 points and 8 rebounds. Valencia Basket big man Andrew Ogilvy scored 11 for the winners and Matt Nielsen and Patrick Mills netted 9 apiece. Kirk Penney led New Zealand with 17 points and Pledger added 9.




Game 1, Australia 91-78 New Zealand September 7, 2011

Aleks Maric - Australia (photo Rodolfo Molina, Euroleague)More evidence of Turkish Airlines Euroleague players are making waves all around the world came on Wednesday from way Down Under, where Australia won the first game of the FIBA Oceania 2011 men's championships with a 91-78 victory over New Zealand. A reigning Euroleague champion, Aleks Maric of Panathinaikos, was one of the big guns for Australia, with 11 points and 8 rebounds. Patty Mills led the winners with 20 points, while Matt Nielsen of BC Khimki Moscow Region added 10 points and a team-high 6 assists. Brad Newley of Lietuvos Rytas had 8 rebounds and 6 points in a team-high 32 minutes on the floor. For defending Oceania champion New Zealand, Kirk Penney led the way with 30 points. It was a close game for 25 minutes, after which New Zealand led 52-53. That, however, is when Australia blasted off with a massive 21-5 run to end the third quarter with a 73-58 lead. Maric had 5 points in that span, while Joe Ingles of FC Barcelona Regal contributed 2 assists and a steal. Australia's lead hit a high of 80-60 and was not threatened seriously by New Zealand the rest of the way. The victory came in the first of three games over five days between the two teams. The opener was in Melbourne. Game 2 on Friday will be in Brisbane. And Game 3, if necessary, will be in Sydney on Sunday. With its next victory, Australia will qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England. The series loser will go to the 2012 FIBA Olympics qualifying tournament.
Friday, September 09, 2011
Euroleague.net
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