RIO DE JANEIRO - Humiliated on the brink of the Olympic final, Australia's Boomers will try to rebound Sunday to beat Spain and capture their nation's first men's basketball medal even though it's bronze.
Serbia's guard Milos Teodosic (centre) is covered by Australia's Andrew Bogut (right) and David Andersen during a men's basketball semifinal in Rio on August 19, 2016
The Aussies lost 87-61 to Serbia in a Friday semi-final, scoring only 14 first-half points and never truly threatening.
"They kicked our ass from start to finish," Boomers center Andrew Bogut said. "We're going to try and regroup. We realize the tournament isn't over for us. It's disappointing to have that kind of a game, but that's tournament basketball."
Bogut, who was injured in the NBA Finals but recovered just in time to play in Rio, said the bronze will be little consolation even if it marks a historic feat for Australia.
"We can hopefully collect the bronze medal, but we're going to be gutted and disappointed with it," Bogut said. "But that's life."
Australia coach Andrej Lemanis said that bouncing back will take the measure of the players in a different way than final scores can calculate.
"It's a good test of character for us to ensure that we bounce back and come back and play the way we want and represent ourselves in the bronze medal game," Lemanis said.
"We will be anxious to get back out on the court and I guess put this right to some degree."
"It's still an opportunity to do something Australian men's basketball has never achieved. I'm confident that we'll come out on Sunday and play the game the right way."
The Aussies have four players who have won NBA crowns, including Bogut, guards Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova and forward Aron Baynes.
"One of the greatest things about being Australian is that we never give up," said Aussie forward Joe Ingles, who dubbed the Serbia loss "pathetic."
"It's going to be a good test for us. Spain is a powerhouse," said Aussie guard Matthew Dellavedova. "We've still got an opportunity and we want to make the most of it."
Spain lost 82-76 to defending champion United States and hopes to settle for bronze after taking silver at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
"We have another game for a medal and we need that medal. We deserve it," Spain guard Ricky Rubio said. "We're going to play hard to get that medal."
Spain lost two games at the start of group play in Rio and struggled with injuries in the run-up to the Games.
"It would be a big success if we win," said Spain forward Nikola Mirotic. "We made a step up so we are still fighting."