A 15-3 run in the second quarter featuring a four-point play from David Andersen gave Australia an 81-61 win over China, its first of the Olympic tournament.
China vs. Australia, Olympics 2012: Patty Mills Shoots Boomers To 20-Point Victory
China was able to keep the game reasonable thanks to the phenomenal shooting of Wang Shipeng, who nailed seven out of 10 attempts from beyond the arc to finish with 21 points -- yes, he only scored from beyond the arc -- but the Aussies’ 28-11 advantage in the second quarter gave them the easy victory.
Patty Mills led Australia with 20 including four triples, followed by Andersen, who had 17. Yi Jianlian didn't have the scoring performance of Wang, but his 13 points and 12 rebounds were vital. However, Yi left the game late after limping off the court, which can't be good news for China, whose hopes depend on the big man who carried the nation's flag in the opening ceremony.
The loss might be one from which China won’t be able to recover: assuming Great Britain is far and away the worst team in the group -- sorry, automatic qualifying bros! -- it will need a win against a team that isn’t Great Britain to advance out of the group, but have lost heavily to all three teams it has faced. Its best chance was probably against Australia.
For more on the Olympics, check out SB Nation’s London 2012 Olympics hub.
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