Mitsubishi Match Recap: Hungry Jack’s NBL26 - Round 21 v Illawarra Hawks

Melbourne United have gone down on Sunday afternoon, falling at home to the Illawarra Hawks.

In front of a sold out John Cain Arena crowd, United started the game hot, pulling ahead 17-8 on the back of some highlight plays at both ends.

Jesse Edwards and Dash Daniels locked down on defence, creating extra opportunities for the likes of Tyson Walker, who tallied nine points in his seven minutes.

This included a pair of triples, the second of which came through contact resulting in a four-point play.

The Hawks were able to answer, going on an 11-0 run of their own to push in front before a Tanner Krebs triple gave United back the advantage.

Milton Doyle followed suit shortly after this, but a late barrage from Illawarra, including a buzzer beating three, meant Melbourne trailed 24-29 after 10 minutes.

Doyle connected from the midrange to start the second, however the vast majority of United’s offence came from Walker’s speed and aggression.

Walker got to the rim, made a look from deep and fought through contact to lead all scorers in the first half with 19 points.

Despite this, the Hawks appeared to have all the answers, building on their lead and going ahead by as many as 12 points.

A late 11-4 run from United, kickstarted by a Kyle Bowen block and Chris Goulding and-one finish, would help the home side cut into the margin, however they remained behind 45-54 at half time.

While things looked positive to start the third, with Edwards skying high for an alley-oop jam, the Hawks continued to control the contest.

Threes from Goulding and Fabijan Krslovic gave Melbourne some life, as did the roar of the 10,175 supporters in attendance.

United would ultimately have a 14-point deficit to overcome in the final period, with the Hawks up 63-77.

While five quick unanswered points to start the fourth put Melbourne in a good position, three unanswered buckets from Illawarra stole away all the momentum.

Walker and Doyle continued to do all they could fuel a comeback attempt, combining for 51 points.

In the end, Illawarra were able to hold off the fightback, handing United a 91-100 defeat.

Melbourne United will return to the court next Thursday for the team’s final regular season contest, a Throwdown 32 matchup with the South East Melbourne Phoenix from 7:30pm.

Tickets are selling fast, so get in quick to secure your seat.