Australia booked a berth in the quarterfinals after edging off Russia 95-80 on Saturday at the men's basketball tournament of the Beijing Olympic Games.
Australia (2-2), collected six points to stay second temporarily in Group A, while Russia (1-3) only had theoretic chance to advance could they beat Argentina on Monday.
Andrew Bogut had 22 points and eight rebounds while C.J. Burton adding 22 points, six assists and four rebounds for Australia, which will meet group leaders Lithuania in the final game in the preliminary round.
The only victory for Russia was a 71-49 win over Iran. The fate of the European champions depends on the result of every following match on the schedule.
Viktor Khryapa led Russia with 21 points and nine rebounds while John-Robert Holden chipped in 20 points, six assists and four rebounds. Andrey Krilenko shot 1-out-of-10 in the field to finish with six points.
(Xinhua News Agency August 16, 2008)