Nick Kay led the way for the Boomers on and off the court as they remained undefeated in their 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifying campaign after a 30-point win over Iran in Bendigo on Monday night.
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The Tamworth product, and Boomers captain, contributed 20 points, seven rebounds and two assists in the 98-68 win.
Despite the final margin and the fact the Boomers almost reached triple digits, this didn't come easy as during the third quarter Iran's talent came to light.
After Australia carried an 11-point win into half-time, Iran swiftly responded with a 14-point run and briefly took back the lead in front of a stunned crowd at Red Energy Arena.
"It was such a typical FIBA game. Competitive and a battle throughout," Kay said.
"Iran came out and played hard and physical which really had an impact early in the game.
"They made a big run and at that moment it felt like it was going to shift.
"But we stuck with it. We improved as their run went on and we went back to what we were doing well."
Boomers coach Mike Kelly was thrilled with the relatively new Boomers squad's resilience which saw them take back the game convincingly.
"We were playing at a level that was competitive and we started playing at a level where we were instilling exactly what we wanted to do," he said.
"I am proud of the guys, we got smacked in the face but we just kept going."
Dejan Vasiljevic led the Boomers' scoring with 23 points, four of which were three-pointers at crucial stages of the game, in addition to five rebounds and three assists.
Australia's undefeated record now means they could seal their place in the World Cup if Bahrain defeats China in the last game of this qualifier window.
The Boomers and Iran will meet again later this year in November during the next window of qualification matches.
The Boomers will also play another game a few days earlier against Kazakhstan.
