Mitsubishi Match Recap: Hungry Jack’s NBL26 - Round 9 v Brisbane Bullets

Melbourne United have secured a hard-fought victory at home in the Member Appreciation Game over the Brisbane Bullets.

It was a slow start to the game for United, as the Bullets quickly scored the first five points of the period before a Milton Doyle dunk and Chris Goulding three tied up the contest.

A Jesse Edwards post score followed, however some hot shooting from the visitors saw Brisbane pull ahead by as many as 12 points.

Slowly but surely, hustle plays allowed Melbourne to work their way back into the game.

Dash Daniels and Shea Ili each fought through contact to register and-one buckets before the former cashed a long-range look to cut the deficit to six.

An aggressive attack on the hoop and a renewed defensive focus ultimately led to United tying up the game at 24-24 to close the term.

Eager to continue their run, it was Doyle who led the charge for Melbourne.

The Chicago native scored 11 of his 28 points in the second quarter, getting it done from all over the court.

This included a perfectly-placed alley-oop pass to Jesse Edwards for a dunk, and an alley-oop finish of his own off the feed from Goulding.

This resulted in Melbourne pulling in front and holding their lead for the remainder of the period and taking a 47-38 advantage into the major break.

An electric 8-0 run to start the third had United in a strong position to blow the game open, with all five players moving the basketball well to produce great looks.

Tyson Walker knocked down a pair of threes before Doyle built on his strong performance, pushing past his previous best with the club.

An Edwards jam and a Kyle Bowen tip-in on the buzzer extended the lead to 18 points with 10 minutes to play.

While Melbourne’s stars continued to score well, Brisbane made a spirited fight back, cutting into the margin as time wound down.

Needing to play with composure, the returning Ili held down the fort, knocking down timely free throws down the stretch and playing solid defence.

In the end, United were able to end the game with a six-point 99-93 victory, which keeps them on top of the competition ladder to close Round 9.

Melbourne United will next take the court on the road against the Illawarra Hawks on 21 November from 7:30pm. The game will be streamed live on ESPN.

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