Australian center Brad Ness and forward Justin Eveson led Australia's scoring drive in their 72-52 win over Japan in a quarterfinal game on Saturday at the National Indoor Stadium.

Australia maintained an aggressive offence throughout the game, scoring 52 points in the paint and 18 second chance points.

"They (Japan) played hard, converting about fifty percent of their shots, so we had to shut that down. You have to believe in yourself," said Ness, who scored the game's highest of 18 points and grabbed 14 rebounds.

"Whether it's Germany or Britain (in semifinals), we match them both quite well. We just have to continue as we have been going."

"Germany plays like us, but they might not quite have the height to match us. Britain beat the U.S., so they have shown what they are made of," added Ness.

Three Australian players scored in the double digits. Eveson pulled down 17 points as the second scorer of the game.

As the fourth quarter progressed, Japan missed several shots, including two three-pointer attempts in close succession.

None of the Japanese players scored in double digits, and they allowed 18 turnovers and 12 steals.

"I didn't know that we would lose. I thought we could win, but we lost by many points. It is such a pity," said Japanese guard Keisuke Koretomo.

"Our field goal percentage was low at that time (fourth quarter). They (Australians) moved back to attack rapidly and made a lot of shots, so the score gap expanded."

Australia advanced to Sunday's semifinals. Japan went to Monday's classification games to determine 5th-8th places. All games will be held at the National Indoor Stadium.

(Xinhua News Agency September 13, 2008)