Melbourne United take Throwdown V

In United’s first game back in Victoria since March last year, Melbourne made it three wins to start the season, claiming a hard-fought win over cross-town rivals South East Melbourne.

In front of a big home crowd at Bendigo Basketball Stadium, Throwdown V was a great contest and the story of the game was United rookie Jack White.

White started things off for United with two triples in the opening two minutes and it was a sign of things to come for the former Duke University captain as he dominated first half proceedings.

White and Shea Ili were on fire from long range in the opening term, both draining a pair of triples, but South East was able to stay in touch thanks largely to import guard Keifer Sykes, who scored 10 first-quarter points.

At the first break, the teams couldn’t be split, with scores tied at 22.

The second quarter began with two buckets from Mitch McCarron, while Ili drained another triple to give United a one-point lead four minutes into the term.

From there, it was White who took over for United. He converted a pair of dunks, before hitting his third three of the afternoon. White wasn’t done though, a big offensive rebound and putback in the final two minutes helped Melbourne jump ahead.

Jock Landale finished the first half perfectly for United with a classy lay-up in the final seconds to give Melbourne a seven-point lead, 47-40, at the main break.

White (17 points and 3 rebounds) and Ili (9 points) led the way for United in the first half, while Sykes and Yannick Wetzell each had 10 points for the Phoenix.

The half time break clearly didn’t cool down White, who came out with energy, getting a couple of blocks and a bucket in the opening two minutes of the term. When Chris Goulding converted two free throws three minutes into the quarter, United held a 10-point lead.

Ben Moore and Cam Gliddon got South East back in the contest and trimmed the deficit to just four points.

Melbourne answered the challenge though, with a game-changing run to end the third quarter. Dave Barlow, Goulding and Jo Lual-Acuil Jr. each drained triples in the final two minutes to give Melbourne a buffer of 12 points at the final break, 66-54.

A Lual-Acuil Jr. dunk got things started in the fourth and when Goulding drained a triple, United’s lead was 14 points, 78-64, after four minutes. To South East’s credit, they didn’t lie down and an 8-0 run in two minutes made it a six-point game. Gliddon and Sykes scored key buckets for the Phoenix, but Landale was the difference down the stretch.

He scored three times in the final 1:30 of the game, while Goulding and Ili both hit clutch threes. Melbourne made it three wins on the trot to start the season with a six-point win, 96-90.

White (22 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks) was a monster on both ends of the court in his best game as a pro, while Goulding (19 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists), Landale (16 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks) and Ili (14 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists) were crucial in crunch time.

Sykes (24 points, 7 assists and 6 rebounds) and Mitch Creek (13 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists) were best for the Phoenix.

With three wins under their belt, United will now shift their attention to the Brisbane Bullets. Melbourne face Brisbane at Nissan Arena to tip off Round 4 on Thursday, February 4 at 7:30pm (AEDT).

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