Match Recap: NBL23 Round 8 v Tasmania JackJumpers

Written by Melbourne United Media 

Melbourne United have fallen short at home against the Tasmania JackJumpers.

Looking to propel United to the best start possible, captain Chris Goulding opened the game on fire, going on his own 7-0 run after the JJs scored the first basket of the game.

Ultimately scoring 13 points in the term, the home side rode a strong shooting performance for much of the period, with both Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Rayjon Tucker adding five points each.

Poised to take a double-digit lead into the first break, Tasmania hit back, knocking down three straight three-pointers to claw their way back into the game and closing MU’s lead to just eight points.

With hopes of keeping up their momentum, newly signed big-man Marcus Lee got the crowd on their feet with a monstrous dunk off a slick feed from XRM.

The American continued this strong play, finishing a skilful dream-shake in the post for two more points.

United’s bench kept up their contributions, with Brad Newley adding four quick points, however it was XRM that stood tall when his side needed it.

With Tassie rallying, the Canadian guard put in tough shot after tough shot, while helping set up his teammates for more highlight plays.

Rathan-Mayes’ play, along with a big-time rejection from Isaac Humphries put a stop to the JJs run and allowed United to take a six-point advantage into the major break.

Melbourne doubled their advantage in the first minute of the third term, scoring the first six points of the period.

True to form, Tassie hit back, however XRM dropped in another three, making him four-for-four on his deep attempts, while Lee shined on the defensive end, sending away a pair of shots on the same possession to buoy the home side.

The JJ continued to inch their way closer to taking the lead, however a sweet mid-range jumper from Tucker to beat the buzzer gave Melbourne a 75-71 lead heading into the final 10 minutes.

Knocking down that jumper clearly put a pep in Tucker’s step, as the import continued to be aggressive to start the fourth.

The high-flying guard scored United’s first four points before hammering one of the biggest dunks of the season on top of a pair of JackJumpers.

Tucker ended the game with 23 points and 10 rebounds, leading Melbourne in both categories.

While United looked poised to take home an important win, the final four minutes of the game didn’t go their way, as Tasmania stormed back to deliver Melbourne a third straight loss.

Melbourne’s next game will be a Throwdown, delivered by DoorDash matchup with the SEM Phoenix on Saturday 3 December.

Fans can watch on ESPN via Kayo and Foxtel.