MELBOURNE, Australia -- Patty Mills has inspired the Boomers to a stunning four-point win over Team USA at Marvel Stadium, Australia's greatest win on the international stage.
The San Antonio Spurs guard started slowly but finished with a flurry, scoring 30 points, 13 in the final quarter, as Australia came from behind to stun the world champions 98-94.
Mills, 31, sent the 52,079 capacity crowd into raptures after hitting back-to-back three-pointers deep in the final quarter as the hosts unexpectedly hit the front by five points.
The Americans rallied but were unable to overcome the deficit, suffering their first loss since 2006 and first against Australia.
"We're trying to build to an ultimate goal of winning a medal at a major championship and this is the process to get there," Mills said.
"This is one step and [we're] growing and building as a group. We're locked into creating history as a group and we're not satisfied yet."
Joe Ingles (15 points) and Aron Baynes (13 points) provided support for Mills while Kemba Walker again top-scored for Team USA with 22 points.
Much like the first game on Thursday night, the Boomers were able to match the firepower of the Americans in the first half before an early third quarter surge saw them fall behind. But unlike in Game One, Andres Lemanis' side was able to compose themselves and wrestle back the momentum before Mills took over in the final quarter.
"They basically shut us out down the stretch," Team USA coach Gregg Popovich said. "Patty made some shots and a lot of basketball games come down to making shots in the last two or three minutes.
"The loss is a measure of who you are. We're actually a better team now than at the start of the game because of the knowledge that we gained. We'll move on."
Team USA will now jet off to Sydney for a final exhibition game against Canada, while the Boomers are expected to head to China for the FIBA World Cup early next week.
