Uruguay is about the size of tasmania, I went there a little over a year ago and it's bloody hilarious, it's like Argentina's New Zealand. Esteban Batista is the only Uruguayan I know of and there was a guy who was 7 ft 9 or something that was either drafted or signed by an nba team around 10 years ago.

Quite a few of their players play in venezuela, I went there too, basketball is the number 2 sport in the country after baseball but the level is nowhere near as good as the nbl.

A second half surge has lifted Australia's men’s basketball team to a euphoric seven point victory over Uruguay at the Super 4 tournament in Rosario, Argentina, 101-94.

Uruguay came into the game on a high after defeating Brazil 90-80 yesterday and raced out to a ten point lead after one quarter and led by six at half time.

But after the break the South Americans could not handle the determination of a young Australian side desperate for its first win on tour, as the Boomers turned the match with a blistering 29-14 third quarter.

The inexperienced Aussies showed great determination in the final stanza to withstand a Uruguayan scoring barrage despite Joe Ingles, Peter Crawford and David Barlow all fouling out of the game and kept piling on points to triumph in the high scoring, free-flowing game.

Ingles top scored for Australia with 24 points, Nathan Jawai added 21 points and 4 rebounds while starting point guard Adam Gibson had his best game on tour with 17 points and 5 assists. Uruguay’s Martin Osimani led all scorers with 29 points.

Boomers head coach Brett Brown was pleased that his young team responded when Uruguay turned up the intensity.

"We’ve been starting games poorly and we did it again but we played with a great physicality from the second quarter onward and from there we built our case and closed the game out," Brown said.

“We had nine turnovers in the first half with their press bothering us but we stopped doing that in the second half and took much better care of the ball.

“We showed good resilience and a disposition to play with some physicality without taking a backward step.

“Uruguay is a very physical team but we followed suit and played well under those conditions. We didn’t roll over and because of that you leave the game happy.”

Brown also made special mention of rookie Boomer Aron Baynes, who registered 9 points on 4-of-6 shooting as well as 5 rebounds and 1 blocked shot. Baynes holds Australian and New Zealand passports.

“Aron is a great addition to Australian basketball,” Brown said.

“We were on the verge of possibly losing him to New Zealand and he is a fantastic team mate and plays with such a high level of competitiveness.

“He’s 6 foot 10, he’s a big man, he’s athletic and I think he has a big future with the Boomers going forward.”

19 year old point guard Matthew Dellavedova did not suit up for the Boomers due to a stomach ailment, while his Australian Emus team mate Jason Cadee got on court for the first time on tour after recovering from an infected heel.

The Boomers depart Argentina tomorrow bound for Rio de Janeiro in Brazil where they will contest matches against Brazil and either Argentina or Uruguay on Saturday and Sunday morning, AEST.

All tour matches are part of Australia’s preparation for the 2009 FIBA Oceania Championship against New Zealand at 6pm on Sunday 23 August at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Center; a 2010 FIBA World Championship qualifying event.

Quarter by quarter:
1. URU 27 AUS 17
H. URU 50 AUS 44 (23-27)
3. AUS 73 URU 64 (29-14)
F. AUS 101 URU 94 (28-30)

AUSTRALIA 101 (Joe Ingles 24, Nathan Jawai 21, Adam Gibson 17) bt
URUGUAY 94 (Martin Osimani 29, Esteban Batista 25, Gustavo Berrera 15)
at Old Boys Stadium
Rosario, Argentina

"All tour matches are part of Australia's preparation for the 2009 FIBA Oceania Championship against New Zealand"

What's the point when hardly any of the players will be in the team contesting the WC qualification?

Is that in fact the case?

"What's the point when hardly any of the players will be in the team contesting the WC qualification?"

I think this is why Oceania should be merged with Asia. If we had a tougher route to qualification, some of our best players may feel that this year's national program is important enough to play in. That'd give our top players more time together to gel as a team. As it is, our best really only get together once every couple of years.

The European and American nations need to contest tough qualifying tournaments to get entry into a major tournament. It's a huge achievement to merely qualify in Europe.

It's all well and good that we practically get automatic entry into the World Championships, but I think we'd get a lot more value from a meaningful qualifiation tournament, even if that meant we gave up our guaranteed spot.

I don't think you can say that we practically get automatic entry... look what happened last time shoe-in 'Boomers' players decided that they weren't available for the qualification series, with an attitude that it wasn't important. Smythe was left with inexperienced players that wouldn't otherwise had made the team, led by the sole Olympian Maher, and lost the series.

I think an attitude shift needs to come about to ensure that playing for your country is actually important - but then again, money talks doesn't it.

I am not sure that the Asian Championship would be a meaningful tournament for the Boomers just yet (unless there was only one spot) but it will get there eventually. FIBA Asia-Pacific will prob be a reality someday.

But personally, I would prefer our best players playing every two years in an Olympics or WC, than playing together every two years in a qualifying event.

Agree Paul, that would prefer our best players playing every two years in an Olympics or WC, but the whole issue here is that we have to get there first. Filling a team and touring with players that wont be the ones utilised in a qualification series just seems a waste of time to me - team bonding, familiarity with plays, experience acquired are all irrelevant when it comes down to business time with a team of shoe-ins that don't particulary know each other (except for perhaps when they played together two years ago).

You have a point, but if there's no series, basketball drops a step in the eyes of the public and while these games aren't viewable by us, they're paid entertainment for those in South America.

I guess Burston didn't get on the court?

Was originally selected outside of the main ten but taken because of injury concerns with a few of the bigs. If they had a fullish squad, he might not have played. Either that, or he had injury concerns of his own.

BTW, video highlights. Fair few threes by Ingles - seems to be in great form!

Anyone else getting sick of those EVONY advertisements???

"Start your journey now, My Lord"... HAHAHAHAHA...

Lame.

Damn, those nets are ugly. I hate it how the ball always seems to get stuck when the ball goes in, can't get that swish of the net!