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IT IS an anxious wait now for the Boomers, sweating the result of the Canada-Spain match overnight to finalise positions in Group A after Giannis Antetokounmpo tonight propelled Greece to a 77-71 victory, Australia's 16 turnovers and 10-of-21 return from the free throw line proving suicidal.

It was a gutsy fightback by the Aussies after slipping behind by 19 at the start of the third quarter and still down by 15 late in the third.

But with key shooters Patty Mills going 5-of-15 from the floor, Josh Giddey 2-of-8 and Dante Exum 2-of-9, catching the Greeks was always going to be a monumental challenge.

Especially when inopportune turnovers and some awful shot selection also dogged a Boomers team showing plenty of fight and heart, but not a lot of smarts.

Coach Brian Goorjian started his tournament five of Mills, Giddey, Dyson Daniels, Nick Kay and Jock Landale and while the latter was good - everywhere but at the stripe where he was 3-of-8 - Will Magnay's first quarter entry gave the team a defensive boost.

They needed it. Greece simply had its way with the Boomers in a 28-12 second quarter that put advancing into the quarter-finals in real trouble.

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. So when Goorjian opened the third quarter with the same starting quintet and Australia down 17, there was little cause for optimism.

Midway through the third, the Boomers still trailing 41-59, he finally gambled on Duop Reath, then Matthew Dellavedova. Both paid dividends, active defensively where the Boomers most needed it.

Australia held Greece to nine points for the period but only mustered 14 itself, Reath and Landale missing big open looks, Dellavedova with a three to trim the deficit to 50-62.

Opening the last with a Landale dunk and a Daniels 3-pointer, the Boomers were alive.

Thomas Walkup hitting 4-of-7 threes for Greece was always a problem as it sped back out to a 67-55 buffer. A Kay lob and an assist from Exum to Daniels again had the margin back to 60-67 and the Boomers were coming.

Mills stuck a 3-pointer and it was 65-69, Greece feeling the heat. But when Kay passed up an open look under the hoop out to Mills from range, the latter covered defensively and having to further move the ball on for a zero return, it still was going to take a miracle.

A Dellavedova steal for a Mills jumper meant Australia was at 69-71 with enough time to win. But decision-making down the stretch again proved suspect, the Boomers doing well to keep the final margin under nine, meaning a Canadian win over Spain would still send Australia through as second placegetter in the group. 

Having pulled the deficit back to one at 24-25 on three free throws to Giddey with 0.1 of a second, starting the second quarter by immediately conceding a Greek triple was far from ideal.

Daniels slipping while bringing the ball upcourt and landing sufficiently awkwardly to need time in the changerooms also only led to the first of consecutive layups, Australia down 24-32.

A Giddey turnover led to another Greek breakaway and trailing by double digits, Goorjian had to call time. It didn't change a thing.

An Exum turnover led to another Antetokounmpo basket and when Walkup stuck another three, Greece was ahead 39-24 and on a devastating 14-0 run.

A rare successful Kay jumpshot brought up Australia's first score at 7:05, a Landale tip bringing the deficit back to 28-39.

Greece took timeout and it was far more effective, Antetokounmpo throwing down a dunk as the Boomers slumped deeper into a hole, down 28-44.

Exum threw down a wicked dunk but Greece held the Boomers at arm's length, punishing them for turnovers and ill-conceived shots while cleaning the boards to the tune of a 27-17 advantage by halftime.

Heading into the half down 36-53, the Boomers' Olympic campaign looked in severe jeopardy, its defence too passive, its offence too individual.

Their 35-24 second half was commendable, despite the number of defensive breakdowns which led to open shots whenever Greece chose to rotate the ball. Now the wait for the Canada-Spain tip-off begins.

GREECE 77 (Antetokounmpo 20, Walkup 18, Mitoglou, Toliopoulos 13; Antetokounmpo, Mitoglou, Papagiannis 7 rebs; Calathes 8 assts) d AUSTRALIA BOOMERS 71 (Landale 17, Mills 13, Daniels 11; Giddey 11 rebs; Daniels 8 assts) in Lille.

MEN'S RESULTS

Group A: Australia 92 d Spain 80, Canada 86 d Greece 79; Spain 84 d Greece 77, Canada 93 d Australia 83; Greece 77 d Australia 71. Canada 2-0 (+17), Australia 1-2 (-4), Spain 1-1 (-5), Greece 1-2 (-8).

Group B: Germany 97 d Japan 77, France 78 d Brazil 66; France 94 d Japan 90, Germany 86 d Brazil 73; Brazil 102 d Japan 84. Germany 2-0 (+33), France 2-0 (+16), Brazil 1-2 (-7), Japan 0-3 (-42).

Group C: South Sudan 90 d Puerto Rico 79, USA 110 d Serbia 84; Serbia 107 d Puerto Rico 66, USA 103 d South Sudan 86. USA 2-0 (+43), Serbia 1-1 (+15), South Sudan 1-1 (-6), Puerto Rico 0-2 (-52). 

WOMEN'S RESULTS

Group A: Spain 90 d China 89, Serbia 58 d Puerto Rico 55; Spain 63 d Puerto Rico 62, Serbia 81 d China 59. Serbia 2-0 (+25), Spain 2-0 (+2), Puerto Rico 0-2 (-4), China 0-2 (-23)

Group B: Nigeria 75 d Australia 62, France 75 d Canada 54; Australia 70 d Canada 65, France 75 d Nigeria 54. France 2-0 (+42), Nigeria (-8), Australia 1-1 (-8), Canada 0-2 (-26)

Group C: Germany 83 d Belgium 69, USA 102 d Japan 76; Germany 75 d Japan 64, USA 87 d Belgium 74. USA 2-0 (+39), Germany 2-0 (+25), Belgium 0-2 (-27), Japan 0-2 (-37).