Australia books ticket to Rio 2016

Australia has secured its berth to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, joining the United States and Brazil. The Aussie Boomers earned their spot after defeating the New Zealand Tall Blacks in a home-and-home series. This will be their 12th consecutive appearance at the games.

They were led by Golden State Warriors’ center Andrew Bogut and Cleveland Cavaliers’ guard Matthew Dellavedova.  Bogut battled severe back pain to help his squad lock down the game against New Zealand, 89-79. He finished with a double-double performance of 10 points and 10 rebounds.

“The body felt good,” Bogut said afterwards of his decision to play. “I was battling a few little things but if you take enough pills and things you end up getting there. It worked out all right. I felt pretty good out there. Tomorrow morning won’t be as good but we got the job done and we’re going to the Olympics.”