Mitsubishi Match Recap: Hungry Jack’s NBL26 - Round 11, Game 2 v South East Melbourne Phoenix

Melbourne United have dropped their fourth game of the season, going down on the road to the South East Melbourne Phoenix in Throwdown 31.

Coming into the contest with a new-look starting lineup, it was Development Player Tom Koppens who created United’s first bucket, driving and kicking the ball to Finn Delany, who cashed in from deep to kick off his 200th NBL game in style.

Koppens then got inside for a layup of his own before Delany rose up high for a slam.

After trailing to start the game, Fabijan Krslovic showcased his skill at both ends, walling up on defence and running the floor for a triple on offence to give Melbourne their first lead of the game.

While this advantage didn’t last long, the matchup remained close until the Phoenix were able to put together a strong run to close the period, going ahead 22-32 after 10 minutes.

It didn’t take Melbourne long to make a dent in the margin, with team basketball resulting in easy open looks.

Tanner Krebs and Chris Goulding both splashed their looks from deep, while Milton Doyle used his skill to get into the paint.

This allowed United to come within two buckets of tying the game, however the Phoenix were able to answer with effort plays.

South East Melbourne were able to force the visitors into turnovers and draw fouls, helping them go on a 21-11 run and take a 45-60 lead at the major break.

A well executed start to the third game gave United fans something to cheer about, with the likes of Doyle, Krebs and Edwards helping bring them within eight points.

Timely stops on defence from the Phoenix however brought an end to this momentum, allowing the home side to string together a consistent offence of their own and stretch the margin back out.

A late Edwards swat, followed by a Kyle Bowen floater set the score at 66-83 with one period remaining.

While Tyson Walker was able to produce some late highlights in the final period, the Phoenix continued to dominate the effort areas, leading to a 86-111 loss for United.

United will next take the floor on Friday 12 December on the road against the Adelaide 36ers from 7:30pm.