The AIS Men forced 4 Turnovers in a row in the last minute of play against the Chinese U19 National team tonight to give Mirko Djeric a 3 point shot on the buzzer to win the game.  Having already hit 4 previous three’s the shot looked good off the hand but just rimmed out.  The match was a real credit to the Institute Men who had been handily beaten by 25 points only a few nights prior by the exact same outfit.

The AIS were encouraged by a strong first quarter which saw them go into the first break carrying a 2 point lead.  Reducing turnovers has been a major focus for the tournament and with only 3 in the first quarter the AIS had shown significant improvement.  Visiting scholarship holder Brandon Brine came out strong with 6 points early on 3/4 shooting.

Sensing an upset the Chinese increased their pressure defense through the 2^nd and 3^rd quarters.  The scout from Coach Ian Stacker ensured the boys handled the various Chinese pressing defences with poise, but despite this the Chinese began to press ahead, going in 7 up at half time and 12 up at three quarter time.  Young guard Mirko Djeric was starting to get going with three 3 pointers.  He also led the team in rebounding stat, whilst his counterpart Dante Exum had also eased his way to 10 points.

Midway through the fourth the score had yo-yoed back and forth.  With two minutes to go, Coach Stacker called his final timeout with the margin still at 12.  Relentless Persistence is an AIS is a value that Coach Stacker has been instilling in the AIS throughout the tour.  “So much of this game is based on momentum.  If we can just create a couple of turnovers in a row, we’re right in this” he urged the team.  Solid team defense, followed by good execution at the other end and two scores including another big Mirko Djeric 3 pointer brought the margin to 7.  Another stop and score out of a Chinese timeout, followed by an Owen Odigie interception and layup on the inbound brought the margin to 3 points.  With 17 seconds to go the Chinese were forced into another timeout.  With the AIS face guarding all passing options the Chinese were forced into throwing a long pass which was swooped on by Tyler Hickert for a 1 on 0 fast break at the other end, bringing the margin to just 1 point with 12 seconds left to play.

The AIS men very nearly came up with a 5^th consecutive steal, but instead had to settle with fouling the Chinese on the inbound.  Making 1 of 2 free throws, now down 2 points the AIS inbounded the ball to Djeric who brought it up and then on a hard to his left elevated above his defender to get a good look at the three.  Unfortunately for the Institute men it was not to be on this occasion.  With that said coach Stacker was pleased with the improvements made by the group from game 1 and is looking forward to similar improvements against USA and Spain.  Djeric finished top scorer for the game with 16.  Dante Exum was just behind with 15, and Owen Odigie also chipped in with 12.       

by Mathew Neason, Scholarship Coach