Impressive performances by Andrew Bogut and Brad Newley have helped the Boomers come back from an eight-point deficit to defeat France by six points in the Stankovic Cup in Nanjing on Sunday night.

Bogut nailed 20 points, while Newley came off the bench to sink 17 points, including three trebles, as the Boomers overcame the odds to post a 77-71 triumph over the French.

The Boomers trailed by six points midway through the opening term and was on the wrong side of a 39-31 scoreline at half-time.

However, some strong defence by Mark Worthington and Dan Kickert combined with the brilliance of Newley saw the Boomers take a one-point lead into the last quarter after a 22-13 run in the third period.

While the final quarter saw the ejection of Sam Mackinnon, who collected a game-high 10 rebounds, and Mickael Gelebale for fighting each other, the Boomers managed to record a morale-lifting victory ahead of Tuesday's clash with Brazil.

While Boomers coach Brian Goorjian said the win was a great step for the team, he said there was still significant improvement left in the Australians.

"We haven't played much together and previously I don't think we had the belief that we could win against the top teams in the world, but beating France and showing the intensity that we did amongst the group, it shows we can get anything done," Goorjian said.

"The most exciting thing for us is that we're not done yet. Most of the teams that have come here are just fine tuning, but we're coming on in leaps and bounds with every game we play."

Australia 77 (Bogut 20, Newley 17, Mackinnon 12)
France 71 (Parker 22, F.Pietrus 10, M.Pietrus 8)