July 25, 2007

NOVI SAD, Serbia - Incoming Santa Clara University freshman Ben Dowdell recently competed in the FIBA U-19 World Championships in Serbia, helping his native Australia earn a fifth-place finish in the tournament. The Aussies posted a perfect 6-0 mark in group play and went 8-1 overall in the competition, but a quarterfinal loss to Brazil forced them to go home empty-handed.

In group play, Australia started out with a strong 77-65 win against Turkey. Dowdell was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and scored 11 points while grabbing two rebounds and dishing out two assists in the win. Dowdell then scored six points and had three rebounds in a 77-73 win over Nigeria to get Australia off to a 2-0 start.

The Aussies then cruised to an 11-point win over Canada with Dowdell again posting six points and three rebounds. Two days after the win against Canada, Dowdell and his teammates exploded for a dominating 135-79 win over Korea. The North Nowra, New South Wales native netted 12 points and hauled down five rebounds in the win to help push his team's record to 4-0 for the championships.

On July 17, the Australians got a scare from Argentina, but they pulled out a clutch 79-78 victory, as Dowdell shot 3-for-4 and scored eight points, while recording three rebounds. Dowdell hit a free throw in the late stages of the game to help Australia hang on after a big rally by the South Americans.

Spain also gave the Aussies a tough game on July 18, but Dowdell and his teammates fought off the Spaniards to earn an impressive 86-84 victory. Andrew Ogilvy hit the game-winning shot with five seconds left to earn his team the win, while Dowdell went for 10 points and five rebounds in the win.

Brazil would end the Aussies hopes at the title in the quarterfinals, pulling out a 73-72 win. Despite having only one loss, the Aussies were eliminated, while Brazil went on to the semifinals with a 4-3 record. Dowdell nearly had a double-double in the game, scoring nine points and grabbing 10 rebounds to lead the team.

Despite being eliminated from contention for the title, Australia regrouped to earn wins over Turkey (82-67) and Argentina (83-59) to pick up fifth-place overall.

For more information about the tournament, go to http://www.serbia2007.fiba.com.