Match Recap: NBL25 - Pre-season, Game 2 v SEM Phoenix

Melbourne United have won a thrilling pre-season Throwdown against the South East Melbourne Phoenix at State Basketball Centre.

Much like he did on Tuesday, Shea Ili got United going on offence, cashing in on a three-pointer on Melbourne’s opening play.

The kiwi-guard led from the front throughout much of the first period, finishing with a team-high 10 points.

Also contributing early on were Ian Clark and Chris Goulding, who each splashed home triples in the first five minutes of action.

Among the other starters, Rob Loe crashed the offensive glass to come up with his first score, while Jack White connected on one of his attempts from the free-throw line.

Despite this offensive showing, it was the Phoenix that found themselves in control to close the period, primarily on the back of Angus Glover, who’s shooting gave South East Melbourne a seven-point lead.

Needing to turn up the intensity, United’s energy went to another level to start the term.

Loe, Ili, and Kyle Bowen all came away with steals, while Melbourne’s entire lineup hustled hard on the offensive glass.

This effort helped orchestrate a 14-0 run, propelling United back into the lead.

While the Phoenix were able to cut the margin down to one, Melbourne fought back quickly, with Ili finding Marcus Lee for a skyscraping alley-oop slam to stop SEM's momentum.

Ultimately, United pushed their lead back out to 10 points heading into the major break.

Coming out of half-time Melbourne’s rim-protection was on full display, with White and Lee getting up for a pair of monster rejections.

The latter then proved his athletic abilities weren’t limited to the defensive end, going upstairs for a pair of alley-oop slams.

Also making his presence felt on the offensive end was Goulding, who tallied eight points on two long-range bombs and a nice back-cut layup.

Once again, the Phoenix were able to battle back, trimming United’s lead back to just three points with one quarter to go.

The fourth period was a wild one, as both teams traded the lead across 10 minutes of non-stop action.

All of United’s stars made an impact, with Lee throwing down another slam, Goulding and Dellavedova knocking down threes, and Ili getting to his spots for mid-range buckets.

It looked as though the Phoenix had done enough to secure the victory after Angus Glover hit a three-pointer with 0.5 seconds remaining, however Ian Clark had other things in mind, banking in a three of his own to send the game into overtime.

In the extra period, Tanner Krebs and Campbell Blogg each made an impact off Melbourne’s bench, scoring quickly, before Ili worked his way inside to bring his tally up to 26 points.

Leading by three with seconds remaining, it was a Glover triple that again tied up the contest, leading to double-OT.

Looking to see what his young stars had to showcase, David Barlow, who coached the game, went to his Development Players, with Akech Aliir coming up huge in the game’s biggest moments.

The DP scored six of his eight points, including what would be the game-winning basket, in 2OT, securing Melbourne a 121-120 win.