Match Recap: NBL25 Blitz, Game 3 v Illawarra Hawks

Melbourne United have secured their second win of the NBL Blitz, overcoming the Illawarra Hawks on Thursday evening.

After conceding scores on the opening few possessions, Jack White got his side on the board with an and-one bucket.

12 combined points from Matthew Dellavedova and Kyle Bowen helped Melbourne continue to push forward, however it was the Hawks that made the most of the first quarter.

Illawarra pulled ahead by as many as seven points across the first 10 minutes before some timely free throws from White and Shea Ili, along with an offensive rebound and score by Marcus Lee brought the lead back to six points.

The Hawks looked to work quickly to build on their advantage, with great play from the likes of Lachlan Olbrich and Tyler Harvey putting the men from the ‘Gong ahead by 12 points.

It took a whole team effort from Melbourne to change the tide of the game, with everyone contributing to what ultimately finished as a 17-2 run for United.

White played with force, while Tanner Krebs, Ian Clark and Marcus Lee all made the most of their opportunities to put Melbourne in front for the first time.

Illawarra was able to hit back, tying up the game with little time remaining on the period before White used his activity on the glass to get to the free throw line and give United a 52-50 lead heading into the major break.

Given the back and forth nature of the contest, it was not a surprise to see each team go on their runs across the third term.

Ili started the quarter with a steal, followed by a mid-range bucket, while White, Dellavedova and Akech Aliir all cashed in from deep.

Despite this, stellar play from Olbrich and import forward Darius Days propelled the Hawks back in front by five points leading into the final period.

In what was a frantic fourth quarter, Illawarra looked as though they had done enough when they went up by five with one minute remaining.

Not willing to leave the Blitz on a loss, United’s stars seemingly pulled out the Uno reverse card, coming up with two consecutive steals following a pair of free throws from White, which they turned into layups to go ahead by a point.

More free throws from White and Rob Loe put Melbourne up by four, and with the game in the balance, Loe came up with a clutch block, swatting a Davo Hickey shot at the hoop to seal a 106-100 victory.

The win gives Melbourne 13 points on the NBL Blitz ladder, leaving the team in contention for the Loggins-Bruton Cup depending on other results.

United will next take the court in Round 1 of the NBL25 season in Perth as part of Hoopsfest against the Tasmania JackJumpers on Thursday 19 September from 8:30pm AEST.

The game will be streamed live on ESPN via Kayo.