Mills leads Australia to 1st-ever World Cup semifinal

Australia used a big third quarter to pull away from the Czech Republic in an 82-70 quarterfinal victory at the FIBA World Cup.

The Boomers outscored the Czechs 30-18 in the pivotal frame and will now face second-ranked Spain in their first-ever World Cup semifinal. Australia's previous best finish at the tournament was fifth at the 1982 and 1984 editions, respectively.

Australia's Patty Mills finished with a game-high 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting, including 6-of-9 from distance.

The Aussies were the better team on the glass, outrebounding the Czech Republic by 10 on the offensive glass and seven overall. Australia also held a 14-2 advantage in second-chance points and scored 25 off 16 turnovers by the Czechs.

Chicago Bulls point guard Tomas Satoransky came just shy of a triple-double with 13 points, 9 boards, and 13 assists for the Czech Republic. The 24th-ranked country was making its first-ever appearance at the World Cup as an independent nation.