The Australian mens basketball team will play for an historic Olympic medal after toppling Lithuania 90-64 in the quarterfinals in Rio de Janeiro.The comfortable victory on Wednesday ensured the Boomers passage into the semifinals for the first time since Sydney 2000.They will next face either Croatia or Serbia, the lowest-ranked of the other finalists. Even if they lose that game, they will still get a crack at the bronze.Patty Mills led the way with 24 points but he was equalled in influence by fellow NBA championship winner Matthew Dellavedova, who finished on 15 points and three assists.Aron Baynes added 16 points, including a handful of entertaining dunks that drew cheers from the small but vocal contingent of Australian fans.The Boomers started calmly but full of energy, as they have all tournament.Dellavedova and Mills shot them to a 26-17 first-quarter lead with a combined five three-pointers. The star guards continued to lay on the points in the second term and together outscored the entire Lithuanian team in the first half for a 48-30 advantage.There was no let-up in the third quarter, either, as the Boomers extended the gap to 27 points.They held on in the final stanza to secure the win, despite some signs of exhaustion.Former NBA forward Cameron Bairstow didnt play, having dislocated a shoulder in the Boomers last group game against Venezuela.Australia recorded their best finish at the Olympics with fourth at the 1988, 1996 and 2000 Games. Lithuania denied them a medal at the latter two Games, beating them in the playoff for bronze on both occasions. Custom Toronto Blue Jays Jerseys . The Canadian squad, skipped by Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg, got on the board first with two in the second end, and followed that with two more apiece in the fourth and sixth ends. Stitched Blue Jays Jerseys . The incident occurred at 19:56 of the second period of the Kings 4-2 road win over Edmonton on Sunday. Nolan punched Oilers forward Jesse Joensuu in the jaw in front of the Kings goal during a scrum. https://www.cheapbluejays.com/ . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday. Toronto Blue Jays Store .B. - Sebastien Auger made 44 saves as the Saint John Sea Dogs edged the visiting Acadie-Bathurst Titan 2-1 on Saturday in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Toronto Blue Jays Shirts .C. -- Manny Malhotra had two goals and an assist, leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. ATLANTA -- Pirates manager Clint Hurdle isnt ready to say whether Jeff Locke will take another turn in the rotation.Were evaluating everything here because we are running out of games, Hurdle said. Thats a fair question, but the answers not going to come right now.Locke blew a four-run lead and reliever Juan Nicasio didnt fare much better in Pittsburghs 8-4 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night.Ender Inciarte broke a tie with an RBI single in the fifth inning for the Braves. They are last in the major leagues in runs, but had 15 hits and scored eight straight runs.Pittsburgh, which began the day two games out of a wild-card spot, has lost four five. Atlanta improved to 17-39 at Turner Field, the worst home record in the majors.Locke (8-7) allowed nine hits, five runs, two walks and struck out one in 4 1/3 innings. Locke is 0-2 with an 11.91 ERA in his last three starts.I got ahead of plenty of guys, just couldnt put anybody away, Locke said.Atlanta scored two runs in the sixth and one in the seventh off Nicasio, taking an 8-4 lead on Adonis Garcias RBI single, Matt Kemps sacrifice fly and Erick Aybars RBI triple.Braves starter Rob Whalen (1-0), making his first career appearance, gave up four hits, four runs, four walks and struck out five in five innings.Whalen put himself in a 4-0 hole on Matt Joyces 11th homer, a three-run shot, and a run that scored on a wild pitch. He labored early, throwing balls on 32 of his first 62 pitches.I was just trying to battle through it the best I can, Whalen said. What an amazing job by the offense to come through there and pick me up and keep chipping that whole game. It makes it a little easier.Atlanta crept back in the game on Anthony Reckers RBI groundout in the second, Freddie Freemans RBI double in the third and Reckers RBI double, which made it 4-3 in the fourth.ddddddddddddThe Braves took a 5-4 lead in the fifth on Nick Markakis sacrifice fly and Inciartes single. Inciarte went 3 for 4 and has hit safely in a season-best 14 straight games. He has a .377 average since July 19.Joyce, in the lineup for slumping Andrew McCutchen, is hitting .294 with three homers and nine RBI in his last 10 starts.TRAINERS ROOMStarling Marte was hit by two pitches but stayed in the game. The first one in the first grazed his left hand, but the next one in the fifth hit his left hand solidly. Marte has been hit by 15 pitches, third-most in the NL. ... C Francisco Cervelli is still being evaluated after getting hit in the left side of the helmet by a pitch on Tuesday. Cervelli, whos had concussion issues in his career, left the game after noticing his helmet was cracked as he stood at first base a few minutes later.ROTATION ROUNDABOUTThe Braves have used 13 starting pitchers this season, their most since 1987 when they lost 92 games. The Atlanta franchise record of 15 was set in 1975 when the Braves lost 94 games.ROSTER MOVESThe Braves optioned RHP Ryan Weber and INF Daniel Castro to Triple-A Gwinnett and selected the contracts of Whalen and RHP Brandon Cunniff.UP NEXTPirates: RHP Ryan Vogelsong (1-1) is 2/3 with a 5.08 ERA in five career starts and three relief appearances against AtlantaBraves: RHP Tyrell Jenkins (1-2) will make his fifth career start. He has never faced Pittsburgh. ' ' '