Match Recap: Round 18, LifeChanger Cup Game 3 vs Illawarra Hawks

Melbourne United have lost their second straight game, falling in a hard-fought contest to the Illawarra Hawks on Saturday evening.

United got off to a strong start, with Matthew Dellavedova and Chris Goulding knocking down triples in their opening few possessions to set the tone for the quarter.

The energy was at a great level within John Cain Arena, and peaked as Jack White slammed home a big-time dunk in transition.

While the defending champs were firing on offence, they couldn’t seem to stop the Hawks, who knocked down their first nine attempts inside the arc to help them control the lead for much of the term.

The bench duo of Shea Ili and Yudai Baba did their best to wrestle back the advantage, combining on some highlight plays, including a buzzer-beating three pointer to close the gap to 30-32 going into the first break.

Melbourne kept their hot shooting from downtown up in the second half, with the likes of Caleb Agada, David Barlow and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr knocking down triples.

This, combined with a renewed defensive aggressiveness, helped United pull in front heading into half-time.

United stifled the Hawks, allowing the visitors just six points through the first seven minutes of the term.

While Illawarra were able to sink some buckets in the final minutes of the period, Melbourne were able to hold the Hawks at bay to take a 50-47 lead into half-time.

Looking to maintain their momentum, United started the third term with a mixed-matched lineup featuring Baba, Ili and Ariel Hukporti alongside CG43 and White.

The look worked to an extent, opening up opportunities for White as he knifed to the rim, however the Hawks kept pushing back, primarily through Xavier Rathan-Mayes.

Rathan-Mayes made shots all over the court to keep Illawarra in the hunt, including a buzzer-beater of his own after Goulding knocked down a deep bomb with only seconds remaining.

With Melbourne up four points heading into the final 10 minutes, it was still very much anyone’s contest.

Boosted by the roaring fans at JCA, United looked in great position to take home the victory.

Leading by six points with five minutes remaining, this unfortunately went downhill for the defending champs.

Rathan-Mayes made tough shot after tough shot, finishing with 25 points and helping lead the Hawks on a 14-2 run to close the game.

Despite the loss, Melbourne remain on top of the ladder ahead of their next game, a matchup with Perth at RAC Arena on Monday evening.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN via Kayo and Foxtel from 9.30pm.