NBL22 Match Recap: Throwdown XIV, Round 12 v South East Melbourne Phoenix

Written by Melbourne United Media

Melbourne United have come from behind to beat the South East Melbourne Phoenix and take back bragging rights in Throwdown XIV, delivered by DoorDash.

United got off to the perfect start through their MVP candidate Jo Lual-Acuil Jr, who scored 10 points in the opening three and a half minutes of action.

With the big man seeing extra attention after his initial scoring burst, Shea Ili took advantage of the openings, adding seven quick points off the bench.

With momentum firmly on Melbourne’s side, JLA put an exclamation point on the opening term, slamming home a massive dunk over Phoenix center Zhou Qi to give United a 13-point advantage.

Looking to stay hot in the second quarter, the defending champs kept the pressure on, forcing turnovers and capitalising on South East Melbourne’s mistakes.

One day out from his 37th birthday, Brad Newley showcased his bounce, stealing the ball away and finishing a nice fast-break slam.

Despite this, United faltered over the second half of the period, scoring only three points while SEM stormed back into the game.

An unfortunate late foul gave the Phoenix the chance to take the lead heading into the main break, which Xavier Munford took advantage of, giving SEM a 42-41 lead.

Searching for answers after half-time, Melbourne looked more like themselves, moving the ball well (21 team assists) and connecting on good looks.

While the Phoenix were able to hold onto their lead throughout the quarter, United looked to be wrestling away control of the game.

Ariel Hukporti put together a nice showing off the bench, scoring six of his 11 points in the term.

This, combined with a JLA buzzer beater to close the term had the Melbourne faithful loud and excited heading into the final 10 minutes.

Like the side has all season, Melbourne shined when it came to winning time.

JLA knocked down one of his three triples in the opening minutes of the term, before Captain Chris Goulding went to the free-throw line to give United the lead back for the first time since the second quarter.

It was a back and forth final term, with each side pulling ahead for stretches.

One of the loudest moments of the game came when CG43 lobbed up a perfect alley-oop slam to Jack White, who had a great night for Melbourne.

White finished with 15 rebounds to go with nine points, two of which came in the closing minutes off a miss to give United back the lead.

JLA followed this up with an emphatic slam to put a cherry on top of his 30-point, nine rebound, two block night.

The game was not over however, as SEM cut the lead to just two points with less than a minute remaining, before CG43 showcased his ability in the clutch.

After some great ball movement, the sharpshooter iced the game with a pure three-pointer from the corner, sealing the deal on a fantastic Throwdown, delivered by DoorDash.

The win keeps United on top of the competition ladder heading into their next game, a Sunday afternoon matchup with the New Zealand Breakers at John Cain Arena.

Set for the family friendly time of 3pm, family tickets of the game are 50% off with the password MU22FANFUN. Tickets are available here.