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US lead way into quarter-finals

Posted on: Sunday, 27 August 2006, 15:57 CDT

By Steve Keating

SAITAMA, Japan (Reuters) - Denver Nuggets' Carmelo Anthony poured in 20 points as the United States flexed their muscles, crushing Australia 113-73 to book their place in the world basketball championship quarter-finals on Sunday.

European champions Greece overcame a slow start to score a runaway 95-64 win over China but Germany and France were forced to fend off late African challenges to secure their spots in the final eight.

Dallas Mavericks All Star Dirk Nowitzki had 23 points and pulled down nine rebounds as Germany held on to beat Nigeria 78-77 while France tamed African champions Angola 68-62.

Looking to end a barren spell of six years without an Olympic or world title, all 12 members of the power-packed U.S. lineup found the scoreboard with Atlanta Hawks's Joe Johnson contributing 18 points and Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade chipping in with 15.

Riding a six game unbeaten streak, the U.S. team has looked in ominous from, rekindling memories of the original Dream Team as they roll toward a quarter-final showdown with Germany.

Australia, led by Milwaukee Bucks's Andrew Bogut, was expected to provide the Americans with their biggest test of championship thus far.

The Boomers did offer some resistance in a wide open run-and-gun first quarter matching the U.S. three-pointer for three-pointer but in the second, the Americans stamped their authority on the contest, opening the quarter with a 25-3 run to take a 59-29 advantage into the intermission.

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"We have a tough game coming up but it's exciting to see the progress and hunger of our team, still wanting to play better," Memphis Grizzlies' Shane Battier told reporters.

"This team really cares about basketball and playing the game the right way, with each other and not against each other.

Bogut, the number one pick in the 2005 NBA draft, had 20 points for Australia.

Leading 78-71 with just over two minutes to play, Germany had to withstand a furious comeback by the Nigerians, whose hopes for an upset ended in heartbreak when Ime Udoka's driving layup bounced off the rim as time ticked down.

Ekene Ibekwe, a senior at the University of Maryland, had 22 points and 10 rebounds for Nigeria.

Trailing by 14 points entering the final quarter, scrappy Angola also staged a riveting rally, trimming the deficit to 60-57 with 39 seconds to play.

France, however, refused to buckle, Aymeric Jeanneau hitting four consecutive free throws to restore a their seven-point cushion, then nailing two more to clinch the win.

Greece missed their first nine shots and spotted China an 8-0 lead before finding their range, Theodoros Papaloukas hitting for 19 points and Vassilis Spanoulis contributing 15 to the win.

Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, who had been averaging over 28 points a game, had an off night for China hitting for just 10 points and eight rebounds.

Greece will meet France in the final eight while the other quarter-final matchups will pit Olympic champions Argentina against Turkey and Spain against Lithuania.

Source: REUTERS

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