Landale stars as Melbourne holds off Brisbane

Melbourne United recorded their seventh win in a row on Monday night after taking care of the Brisbane Bullets at John Cain Arena.

Jock Landale led United home in a performance that had it all, while Nathan Sobey was sublime in a losing effort for the Bullets.

It was the Jock Landale Show to open proceedings as the big man dominated, showcasing his full range of skills with triples, points in the paint and free throw makes. With Landale on fire and scoring 11 points in the first four and a half minutes of the game, Melbourne held a 15-11 lead.

Chris Goulding and David Barlow connected on long-range shots through the middle stages of the first quarter and when Sam McDaniel completed an and-1 play with just under two minutes to play, United’s lead was eight points, 26-18.

A buzzer-beating Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. triple from the top of the key had John Cain Arena rocking heading into the first break and Melbourne’s lead stood at 11 points, 31-20.

After taking the Bullets to school in the first quarter, Landale continued his deadly form in the opening stages of the second quarter with another three-pointer, while Yudai Baba’s defence came to the fore leading to a fastbreak dunk and triple for the defensive dynamo.

When McDaniel threw down a thunderous two-hand jam with 6:40 left in the half, Brisbane was forced to call a time-out as Melbourne’s lead had ballooned out to 17 points, 43-26.

Andrej Lemanis’ time-out worked as Lamar Patterson and Nathan Sobey made plays to lead the Bullets on a 10-2 run to get back into the game. A Goulding three stopped the run and tensions rose when Matt Hodgson set a hard screen on Goulding.

McDaniel dominated the final minute of the first half with two triples and at the main break, Melbourne held a commanding 58-40 lead. Landale (14 points and 7 rebounds) and McDaniel (13 points) led the way for United as the team posted their highest first half total for the season.

The third quarter began with a Sobey triple and that was a sign of things to come as the superstar guard took over the game in the term. A 9-0 Brisbane run to start the second half was ignited by a pair of Sobey triples, trimming Melbourne’s lead to nine points, 58-49.

Landale and Mitch McCarron steadied the ship for United, but Tamuri Wigness entered the game and provided plenty of energy for the Bullets. A Patterson three-pointer with one minute left in the term saw Brisbane trailing by just five points, 68-63.

With a quarter to play, Melbourne held a seven-point lead, 70-63, after a stunning 13-point quarter from Sobey.

Baba and Sobey traded early triples in the fourth quarter, before Landale and McCarron made key plays and when Landale grabbed a big offensive rebound which led to a McDaniel drive and score, Melbourne’s lead was back out to 11 points, 84-73.

McCarron dished out his 10^th assist with a beautiful pass to Mason Peatling, but the Bullets wouldn’t go away as Sobey continued his blistering form, hitting a triple with just over two minutes left in the game to cut the deficit to just five points, 91-86.

McCarron once again took control of the game down the stretch with a jump shot of his own, before handing out a no-look alley-oop pass to Landale for the dunk. A Baba alley-oop pass to Lual-Acuil Jr. with one minute remaining iced the game and United ran out 98-89 winners.

Landale was a man possessed and did it all on both ends of the court to finish with a ridiculous stat-line of 23 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. McCarron (11 assists, 8 points and 4 rebounds) was phenomenal, while Goulding (18 points), Baba (16 points) and McDaniel (career-high 15 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists) were also key contributors.

Sobey (30 points and 6 rebounds), Froling (15 points) and Hodgson (13 points and 8 rebounds) were best for Brisbane.

A seventh win on the trot for United has them sitting on the top of the ladder with a 17-5 record. Next up for Melbourne is a Sunday afternoon match up against the Illawarra Hawks at John Cain Arena. Tip off is at 3pm.

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