Match Recap: NBL23 Round 6, Game 2 vs SEM Phoenix

Written by Melbourne United Media

Melbourne United have picked up their biggest win of the season, drubbing the South East Melbourne Phoenix by 25 points in Throwdown XVII, delivered by DoorDash.

After giving up the first four points of the contest, United brought the sold-out Multicultural Game crowd to their feet with a Shea Ili triple, followed by an alley-oop finish from David Okwera.

Both teams were putting points on the board quickly, however they were coming from very different areas, as the Phoenix feasted at the free-throw line while United bombed away from downtown.

Chris Goulding was at his sharpshooting best for Melbourne, cashing in on three of his attempts to finish the period with nine points, while Shea Ili sank a silky midrange jumper to cut the SEM lead to two points after 10 minutes.

The second period was an arm wrestle, as both teams fought hard to gain control of the game.

Alan Williams was dominant inside for SEM, beasting his way to 20 points and 12 rebounds across the first two quarters.

On the other side, CG43 continued to fire away from behind the three-point line, sinking another two triples, while Okwera shined in big moments.

Matched up against one of the league’s stars in Mitch Creek, Okwera rose to the occasion, scoring when his opportunities came and playing tight defence.

Similarly to the first term, some late buckets from United, including a tough Xavier Rathan-Mayes three-ball, buoyed Melbourne, helping the home side take a 52-49 lead into the major break.

Looking to keep up their momentum, United got off to the perfect start, as Isaac Humphries put in a layup to kick off a 12-2 run.

Humphries was huge all game, finishing with 20 points while extending his league-leading block tally, sending away a trio of shots at the rim.

This combined with more brilliance from Goulding and Okwera, as well as some strong contributions from United’s bench, propelled the men in blue, helping the side outscore SEM 31-18 in the period and take a commanding 16 point lead heading into the final 10 minutes of play.

Looking to put the game away, Goulding’s skill shone through.

United’s captain put on a show for the sold-out John Cain Arena crowd, finishing the game with 30 points and seven three-pointers.

With the result all but locked in, some of Melbourne’s young stars got their opportunity in front of the 10,300 fans in attendance.

Zac Triplett cashed in a triple from the corner, while Josh Duach scored his first professional points at the free-throw line.

United ultimately ran away with the 110-85 victory, tallying the highest point-total this season and registering the biggest Throwdown win in the history of the rivalry.

Melbourne will now enjoy an 11 day break before returning to John Cain Arena for a clash with the Adelaide 36ers on Thursday 17 November at 7:30pm.