Mitsubishi Match Recap: Hungry Jack’s NBL26 - Round 8, Game 1 v Illawarra Hawks

Melbourne United have dropped their second game of the Ignite Cup, going down on the road to the Illawarra Hawks.

It was an uphill battle from the start for United, as the Hawks scored the first five points of the game in short order.

The visitors were able to match Illawarra’s scoring for much of the term, consistently keeping the margin to one-point through some tough shotmaking from Finn Delany, Tyson Walker, Milton Doyle and Tanner Krebs.

The issues came for Melbourne when they got into foul trouble, which allowed the Hawks to get to the line, which combined with some issues putting the ball in the hole, allowed the home side to go on a 9-0 run.

Dash Daniels broke the run with a floater, while Walker and Delany each made the most of their opportunities late in the period, however a buzzer-beating three from the Hawks gave them a 22-32 advantage after one.

Defence and an attack on the rim gave United some momentum to start the second term.

Doyle got to the rim for a layup before Chris Goulding stripped his man at half-court, leading to a Delany dunk.

It was then Jesse Edwards who got in on the high-flying action, going upstairs for a quartet of powerful slams.

This opened up chances on the perimeter for Goulding, who broke free in the corner for his first deep make of the night.

Another Delany bucket in the paint came as the final score for the quarter, however Melbourne still faced a challenge to come back, trailing 43-57.

Coming out of the major break, Edward continued his dunk-fest, throwing down another jam to get the team going.

More buckets from the likes of Doyle, Walker and Delany kept United threatening to push in front, however the Hawks continued to shoot the ball well from all over the court.

A pair of putbacks, the first from Kyle Bowen and second a buzzer-beater from Delany, got Melbourne within 11 points ahead of the final term.

A technical free-throw coming out of the break hurt the comeback attempt, but Delany did his best to erase the deficit, cashing in a pair of threes to get his side back within 10 points.

Delany finished the game with a United career-best 21 points, with Edwards’ 19 points a close second on the evening.

Ultimately, Illawarra proved too good at home, securing the 14-point victory.

Melbourne will next take the court on Saturday evening in Throwdown 30 against the SEM Phoenix.

Fans can tune in via ESPN.

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