Australia snap United States’ 13-year winning streak
Mills fires Aussies to famous win
MELBOURNE, Aug 24, (RTRS): Australia, fired by a game-high 30 points from Patty Mills, ended the United States’ 78-game winning streak in basketball competitions and exhibitions on Saturday, claiming a shock 98-94 win in a World Cup warmup in Melbourne.
In front of a record crowd at Docklands stadium, the US team suffered their first loss in 13 years, while Australia secured their first ever win over the Americans after 26 attempts dating back to 1964.
He went up another level in Game Two, and could hardly miss in the fourth quarter as he tipped in 13 points and dominated the final minutes.
Although many of the United States’ top NBA stars skipped the series and the World Cup, Australia’s win thrilled the 52,079 fans – a record crowd for the sport at the stadium – and gave the Boomers hope of claiming a medal in China.
“It was awesome, we had no idea what it was going to be like and everyone came out in full force tonight,” said Mills.
“It’s a building block for us ... This is just one step towards our progress and ultimate goal of creating history and winning a medal, so we’re locked in on that focus, for sure.”
The result was also a boost for organisers, who were under fire on Friday after hundreds of fans complained about seating arrangements during the opener the night before.
Australia, who finished fourth at the Rio Olympics, face Canada, Senegal and Lithuania at the World Cup which starts on Aug 31. The US meet Canada in a third World Cup warmup in Sydney on Monday.