RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) Australia moved closer to its first Olympic medal in men’s basketball by clobbering long-time nemesis Lithuania 90-64 on Wednesday in the quarterfinals.
Patty Mills scored 24 points and Matthew Dellavedova 15 for the Aussies, who have been as impressive as any team in Brazil and are gaining confidence with every trip onto the Carioca Arena floor. Australia’s only loss in these games was by 10 to the U.S. in the preliminary round.
The Boomers, as they are known Down Under, have finished fourth three times and were twice beaten by Lithuania (1996 and 2000) in the bronze-medal game.
Australia, which has five NBA players on its roster and four who have won championships, will play the Serbia-Croatia winner in the semifinals on Friday.
Mantas Kalnietis scored 12 for Lithuania, which beat Brazil and Argentina earlier in the tournament before losing to Spain by 50 and dropping its final three games.