Mitsubishi Match Recap: Hungry Jack’s NBL26 - Play-In v Perth Wildcats

Melbourne United have lost their Play-In matchup against the Perth Wildcats on the road, ending their NBL26 campaign.

It was a defensively focused first few minutes for United, as following a Chris Goulding mid-range jumper, both he and Dash Daniels forced the Wildcats into turnovers resulting in buckets.

Starting his second Play-In game in a row, Fabijan Krslovic was strong protecting the hoop, walling up perfectly to limit Perth’s attack on the hoop.

When Krslovic went to the bench, Jesse Edwards shined, dominating on the interior.

Returning from a back injury the big man went to work in the post, scoring back-to-back baskets sandwiching an emphatic block at the other end.

A Finn Delany putback then put Melbourne up by seven, however Perth quickly flipped the script, going on a 17-0 run on the back of strong defence of their own.

Another Delany putback ended the run before Tyson Walker did his best to re-capture momentum for the visitors, sinking a three-ball before racing down the court to beat the quarter time buzzer and reduce the Wildcats lead to 19-22

Having caused headaches in the opening term, Daniels came away with another steal to start the second, picking the ball and finishing at the rim.

The rest of the period was full of highlights for United, as they took the lead and built up a game-high 11-point advantage.

Delany found Edwards upstairs for an alley-oop, Tanner Krebs dished a behind the back assist to Kyle Bowen, and Goulding splashed his first three-ball of the evening.

After a dunk from Delany and a pair of floaters from Doyle and Walker, Edwards went showtime at the rim, jamming home a reverse dunk.

This allowed Melbourne to push ahead and take a 53-44 lead into half-time.

The game remained close coming out of the major break, with a three-pointer from Walker and layup from Edwards keeping United in front.

Unfortunately for the visitors, this scoring stalled following this, as the Wildcats once again started to roll, inching back in front.

Another Edwards putback and a Krebs triple gave Melbourne life, however Perth would hold onto a 63-67 advantage with one quarter to play.

While Doyle was able to score the opening bucket of the period, United’s offence stalled for much of the fourth.

Melbourne managed just 14 points in the final 10 minutes, while the Wildcats grasped control of the game and never looked back, ultimately securing a 77-95 victory.

This brings an end to Melbourne United’s NBL26 campaign.