Mitsubishi Match Recap: NBL25 Round 6, Game 1 v Illawarra Hawks

Melbourne United have knocked off the Illawarra Hawks on the road, finishing with a 92-87 victory on Thursday night.

It was a hot start for United as Flynn Cameron sliced to the hole in his first start of the season for the game's opening score.

Buckets inside from Rob Loe and Jack White followed before Cameron added another layup to give Melbourne an 8-2 lead.

While the visitors were able to add two triples from Ian Clark and a couple of tip-ins from Kyle Bowen and Marcus Lee, the Hawks hit back with energy, taking a three-point lead into the first break.

It may have looked like Illawarra were set to run away with the game after scoring the first seven points of the second term, however following a United timeout, the game flipped on its head.

Melbourne went on a 15-4 run, thanks to some brilliant shot-making from Chris Goulding and lockdown defence from the likes of Marcus Lee and Tanner Krebs.

Development Player Joel Foxwell also contributed during the run, registering his first career points on a three-ball.

Late layups from White and Tanner Krebs allowed Melbourne to push in front 40-37 as the teams went into the rooms for half time. 

Looking to keep up their momentum, United started the second half well, as White cashed in from deep before Cameron cut through the paint and connected on a hook-shot.

Lee got in on the action after this, emphatically spiking an Illawarra shot before following up at the other end with a put-back dunk.

A Goulding triple gave Melbourne their biggest lead, putting the visitors up by 11 points, however the Hawks slowly cut into the lead to close the period, reducing the gap to a one-point United advantage with 10 minutes remaining.

After such an intense battle, it was no surprise that the fourth quarter was full of huge moments from both sides.

Cameron continued what may have been his best NBL game to date, scoring both from beyond the arc and at the rim to finish with a career-high 18 points.

He wasn’t the only United star to put up huge numbers, as Jack White tallied the second most rebounds in the club’s history (19).

With the game in the balance however, it was the captain, Chris Goulding, who came through in the clutch.

CG43 knocked down a trio of three-pointers in the final stanza, while also remaining perfect from the free-throw line to help give Melbourne a seven-point advantage with less than a minute remaining.

Lights out shooting from the Hawks almost saw the home side steal the win, however White was able to ice the game with four consecutive free-throws to give Melbourne the victory over the ladder leaders.

Melbourne will be back on the court on Sunday afternoon when they host the Cairns Taipans at John Cain Arena in The Grassroots Game.

Tickets remain available here.

If you can’t make it to the game, you can tune in live on 10 BOLD or ESPN via Kayo.