Rio 2016 basketball: Australia shock favoured France in opening game of competition
French team replete with NBA experience no match for the Boomers as Andrew Bogut runs riot
Andrew Bogut knocks the ball away from Nando de Colo at the Carioca Arena 1 (Photo: Getty Images/Elsa)
Andrew Bogut scored 18 as Australia upset France 87-66 in the opening men's basketball game Saturday at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
France was considered by many as the second-best men's team in the tournament behind the United States, but the squad —filled with NBA talent — underwhelmed on the heels of a disappointing London 2012 campaign.
Bogut shot 9 for 10 from the field and Patty Mills had 21 points. Bogut's presence was a bit of a surprise after he suffered a hyperextended knee in the NBA Finals.
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Tony Parker, one of 10 NBA players on the court — five on each team — scored a team-high 18 for France — 16 in the second quarter.
Australia dominated early and led by 15 , but France closed the half on a 14-2 run to trail 36-33. The Aussies put the game away with a 14-2 run to take a 67-48 lead in the fourth quarter.
