The test Boomers needed to pass

When the Australian Boomers slipped to a five-point deficit in the second quarter against Qatar, an almighty upset suddenly seemed possible.

The Australians were missing uncharacteristically easy shots, while former NBA guard Brandon Goodwin took control in the first half. What had shaped as a dead rubber quickly turned into a fiery contest with pride firmly on the line.

It took until the third quarter for the Boomers to assert their dominance, but a similar performance in the Quarter-Finals could end in heartbreak.

"It was just effort," Jaylin Galloway admitted.

"They (Qatar) were working harder than us, it was just little things … working harder than us. They were just outplaying us.

"So we just had to come out, play our way, and just beat them on effort.

"We started off a little slow. They were beating us on the offensive boards, We came out second half, just had to fix a problem. We stuck together and came out with the win."

With Galloway having a second straight big game, knocking down 24 points, the Boomers outscored their opponents 64-39 after half-time to record a 28-point win.

They didn’t have it all their own way, but showed maturity to turn things around after a tough start.

“I think just tactically we weren't doing a very good job protecting the rim. Gave them a lot of free throws … I think they had 25 at half-time, which is not a number that we can give up in FIBA in a half, or in any basketball,” coach Adam Caporn said.

“They were one of nine from three, so we didn't want to give them open three-pointers, but we wanted to make sure that we protected the rim better. I thought that was one of the main things that changed. And then as we got stops, we got a bit more of a rhythm offensively and our energy improved. That was the main tactical thing, but I was also impressed with our resilience.

“These games are difficult. That other team is a good team, good talent, and a really good point guard (Goodwin) who puts a lot of pressure on you. He did a good job giving up the ball when we trapped him at the start of the game and brought other people into the game. So yeah, it's always a back and forth and that's what's fun about it.”

Reported Cairns Taipans signing Reyne Smith had another strong game, with 15 points, while Illawarra Hawks star Will Hickey was as influential as ever with 15 points, to go with 5 rebounds and 8 assists.

Australia takes on the winner of the Quarter-Final Qualification game between Saudi Arabia and the Philippines in the next stage of the FIBA Asia Cup.