Match Recap: NBL25 Round 2, Game 1 v SEM Phoenix

Melbourne United have claimed the first Throwdown victory of the season, overcoming the South East Melbourne Phoenix ‘on the road’ on Thursday night.

Matthew Dellavedova scored the first five points of the night, getting into the lane for a floater and knocking down a three to set the tone, however it was the Phoenix who looked lethal from long range.

South East Melbourne connected on six of their eight three-point attempts in the opening term, helping them to open up a seven point lead.

Import wing Joe Wieskamp added some spice to the already intense rivalry matchup, picking up an unsportsmanlike foul for an illegal hit of Chris Goulding, which only seemed to get the United legend going.

Looking to claw away at the deficit, CG43 went splash twice from deep, while Ian Clark found his range from deep and mid range.

This, along with a strong and-one finish from Shea Ili in the final minute of the half saw Melbourne push back ahead 46-40 going into the major break.

With his guards doing work from long range, Marcus Lee and Rob Loe imposed their will in the paint.

Lee soared for an alley-oop slam, while Loe came away with two of his three rejections in the third period.

Jack White also worked his way into the contest after a quiet first half, slashing to the hoop for a powerful dunk.

This helped build the momentum for United, who took a seven-point advantage into the final term.

Determined to get back into the game, the Phoenix fought hard, tying up the score with eight minutes remaining, however Melbourne’s resilience shone through after their brief run.

Ili and Tanner Krebs each connected from deep and White continued his assault on the rim, slamming home a number of arena-shaking jams.

This, along with some well-poised three-throw shooting down the stretch cemented what was ultimately a 96-84 win for United.

This brings the overall Throwdown record to 18-7.

Melbourne will next head on the road to face off against Tasmania JackJumpers at MyState Bank Arena on Saturday night from 8pm.

Fans can tune in like on ESPN via Kayo.