Australia are two steps away from ending a decades-long medal drought at the FIBA Under-19 World Cup after advancing to the quarter-finals with a 106-96 win over the Dominican Republic.
Jacob Furphy (24 points) led all scorers with five three-pointers, and Jack Whitbourn (12 points, 12 rebounds) posted a double-double for the Emus, who never trailed in their round-of-16 encounter on Thursday morning (AEST).
Robbie McKinlay’s team increased their lead to 21 points early in the third period at Lausanne Arena in Switzerland, but saw it trimmed to eight with more than four minutes left to play.
The Emus held on, advancing to the last eight of the tournament for the first time since 2015.
It matches the team’s best achievement since an Andrew Bogut-led line-up claimed a historic gold medal under coach Rob Beveridge in 2003.
The Emus next face Germany on Friday night (AEST), after the European heavyweights continued their strong tournament with a 92-83 win over Serbia.
Four of Germany’s starters scored in double figures, led by Hannes Steinbach, who starred with 23 points and 19 rebounds.
Eight-time champions USA smashed a series of records on their way to a 140-67 rout of Jordan.
USA set new all-time highs with 59 field goals made, 52 two-point field goals made and 31 steals.
They also broke their own scoring record with 140 points – the second-highest total in U19 World Cup history – and their 41 assists and 37 forced turnovers were the second-highest tallies in competition history.
Eight USA players scored in double figures, led by Tyran Stokes and Morez Johnson Jr (19 each).
New Zealand booked a quarter-final spot for the first time with a 99-86 victory over China.
The Kiwis will face tournament hosts Switzerland, who shocked France with an 86-79 upset.
Switzerland, ranked No.60 in the world, went on an 18-0 run spanning the fourth period and overtime to take down their highly fancied rivals.
Canada reached the last eight for the seventh consecutive tournament with a 100-75 win over Mali, but next take on the might of the USA.
FIBA U19 WORLD CUP QUARTER-FINALS
Slovenia v Israel
New Zealand v Switzerland
Canada v USA
Germany v Australia
https://thewest.com.au/sport/basketball/australias-emus-advance-to-u19-world-cup-quarter-final-c-19233107
