Miami Basketball G DJ Vasiljevic Continues Excellent Play in World Uni Games
Miami Basketball Sophomore Guard DJ Vasiljevic continued his strong play for Australia in Taipei. Vasiljevic scored 16 points as the Aussies defeated Mozambique 87-58.
Vasiljevic had an efficient five for 11 from the floor and four for eight on three-point attempts. He didn’t have to carry the Australian offense. He had essentially done so in averaging 22.5 points per game entering Friday’s game. His stellar play in Taiwan will be a boon to the Miami basketball program this winter.
Despite the win, Australia landed just outside qualifying for the medal round. Israel and Lithuania will represent Group D in the medal round. Australia tied with Ukraine with a 3-2 record. They were one game behind Israel and Lithuania’s 4-1 records.
Australia will begin its quest to finish ninth with a matchup with Estonia. They will play Norway or Mexico win or lose in the next game. After having Saturday off, the Boomers will begin their final three game stretch on Sunday.
Vasiljevic got some help scoring the ball against Mozambique. Jack McVeigh who plays collegiately for Nebraska led the Boomers with 20 points. Kyle Adnan also contributed 14 points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals. It was only the second game of the tournament that Vasiljevic did not lead Australia in scoring.
Vasiljevic had one of his better all-around games in Taipei against Mozambique. The Miami Basketball Sophomore also contributed five rebounds, two assists and one steal.
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Vasiljevic was hot in the first quarter. The teams exchanged baskets early as the game was tied at four. Australia then went on a 14-4 run to take an 18-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Three Vasiljevic triples accounted for nearly two-thirds of the Aussie points during the run. The first two of Vasiljevic triples put Australia up 10-4. They never looked back from there.
The Aussies outscored Mozambique 19-14 in the second quarter to take a 37-24 lead at the lead.
An 11-0 run to begin the second half eliminated any thoughts of a Mozambique come back. Vasiljevic had a stretch of five straight points during the run.
Australia cruised through the rest of the third quarter. They had a 29-16 advantage in the third stanza. That pushed the lead to 66-40 going into the final quarter.
Vasiljevic found his stroke after struggling the last few games. He made four of his eight attempts from beyond the arc. He also got his points at key moments during the game. His shots helped Australia to pull away and pad their lead.
The game time against Estonia is still yet to be determined. They finished third in Pool C. The USA won their Pool with Argentina finishing second to qualify for the medal round.
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Estonia was competitive in every game except a 40 point loss to the United States team in disguise as the Purdue Boilermakers.