Australia downs Lithuania to reach Rio hoops semi-finals
Patty Mills scored 24 points and Aron Baynes added 16 to spark Australia over Lithuania 90-64 Wednesday, advancing the Boomers to the Olympic men's basketball semi-finals.
The Aussies will face the winner of a later quarter-final between Serbia and Croatia in a Friday semi-final. Other quarter-finals send the defending champion US NBA stars against Argentina and Spain against France.
Australia's Boomers have never won an Olympic men's basketball medal, losing bronze medal games to the United States in 1988 and to Lithuania in 1996 and 2000 in their best-ever showings.
Matthew Dellavedova added 15 points while Andrew Bogut has six points, seven rebounds and six assists as together with Mills and Baynes the Aussies' NBA players powered a solid triumph.
The Boomers outscored Lithuania 20-3 in a key span around the first quarter break for a 36-20 lead and the Aussies were never threatened again.
Mills had eight points and Dellavedova six in the crucial run, which was capped by an alley oop slam dunk by Bogut off a pass from Damian Martin.
Lithuania won bronze medals in 1992, 1996 and 2000 and was fourth in 2004 and 2008 before falling to eighth in 2012.