Indiana University Athletics
Allen, Australia Finish Fourth at World Championship
8/14/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Aug. 14, 2005
MAR DEL PLATA, Argentina - The Australian Young Men's National Team (the Crocs) fell to Canada in the bronze medal game of the FIBA Under-21 World Championship, 79-74. The Crocs were unable to overcome the motional let down of not advancing to the finals after finishing as the top seed in Group A. Indiana freshman Ben Allen finished the Championship with a five-point, seven-rebound performance in the third-place game.
Canada led by a point, 41-40, at the half. The Canadian team extended the advantage out to seven by the end of the third period on its way to the five-point victory. Australia struggled from 3-point range, hitting on only 4-of-20 attempts, while Canada hit on seven from behind the arc. Canada also out rebounded the Crocs, 40-34.
"First of all, I would like to congratulate Canada for winning the bronze medal," Australia head coach Guy Mohillo said. "They were a very competitive team. We are disappointed because we had a great performance at the Championship and did not win a medal. We missed some decisive 3-point shots."
Allen finished 2-of-5 from the field and 1-of-2 from the free throw line. In 19 minutes of action, the Melbourne native had an assist, a steal and a block shot. For the Championship, Allen averaged 7.6 points per game and 6.6 rebounds per contest.
Brad Newley led Australia with 19 points, while Aleksandar Maric had 16. Levon Kendal led four Canadians in double figures with 15 points. Vladimir Kuljanin had 12, while Andrew Rautins and Garry Gallimore had 11 and 10 points, respectively.
