Joe Ingles expresses frustration about referees after loss vs. Germany / News - Basketnews.com

After an 82-85 loss against Germany, Joe Ingles and head coach Brian Goorjian expressed their disappointment with the officiating, saying that some things were out of Australia's control.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

"Ref the game! Ref the game!" Australia national team head coach Brian Goorjian screamed twice at the referees right after the final buzzer announced Germany's win 85-82.

Australia / Schedule

Finland Australia72-98 Australia Germany82-85 Australia JapanTue11:10

As you might imagine, the game went to the wire. Josh Giddey made the last-second attempt from the backcourt and was closely guarded by Daniel Theis.

Giddey went on the ground, claiming he was fouled, but the referees' whistles remained silent, and Germany celebrated its second victory in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.

"Really hard loss for us," Goorjian said in the post-game conference. "I'm proud of how our guys were competing, we gave ourselves a chance. I thought it came down to a couple of things that are out of our control. We were right there. Onward to the next one."

Goorjian was also reminded about the situation in the third quarter when Germany wasn't called for a backcourt violation.

The 70-year-old didn't say it directly, but he let it be understood that he wasn't happy with the officiating tonight.

"We had a couple of [calls]. Out of bounds, underneath the basket, it was clear. I had to use my deal [challenge]. I can't get into it," Goorjian said as Joe Ingles ironically chuckled. "As I said, some stuff is out of our control. It was close, and I was disappointed there."

Meanwhile, Ingles admitted that the Australians started the game slowly but was also frustrated at some of the referees' decisions.

"We started off slow, but as the coach said, there were some obvious calls that I just don't feel you can miss at any stage of the game, whether it's the 1st or 4th quarter," Ingles said. "Coach had to use his challenge on one of the most obvious calls. Like, he clearly kicked the ball out of bounds. It's out of our control. We're getting onto the next one and move on to Japan."

In their final Group E games, Germany will face Finland, while Australia will meet the host nation Japan.

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