NBL27 Match Recap: Melbourne United vs Illawarra Hawks. October 18, 2026.

Melbourne United fell just short in their annual Grassroots Game against the hungry Illawarra Hawks in a tense contest, resulting in an 89-91 loss. The loss comes despite another huge comeback effort from Melbourne, who brought their deficit of 16 back within one in the dying minutes. 

Josh “The Opener” Oduro got United's scoring started once again, using a spin-fake in the post to get him open for a fadeaway jumpshot for two points on Melbourne’s first possession.

The high-flying Luke Travers, following a dry spell from United, brought some energy back into John Cain with a steal and a slam to give Melbourne an early 6-5 lead. 

As the game kept at a frenetic pace, the scoring continued to come from the frontcourt, as stretch-big Sam Waardenburg cashed in his first bucket, and United’s first three of the contest. 

Midway through the first, Oduro imposed his will for back-to-back buckets; first driving the Hawks interior defence to the deck and capitalising with a monster jam; following that up with a tip-in two for his sixth point of the period. 

Just after subbing-in, Joe Ingles took the wheel on offence to close out the first, scoring five points and getting three assists. 

The stretch was highlighted by a crosscourt dime to the corner for some string music from three by Tom Wilson. Then, for a pair of buckets of his own, he jingled all the way to the rack for two easy layups.

His and United’s takeover gave the home team a 27-21 lead as the buzzer sounded to end the first.

It was again an import who opened the quarter’s scoring for Melbourne, as Cole Anthony knocked down his first field goal of the game, a catch-and-shoot three off a Waardenburg dime. 

A quick run from the Hawks applied the pressure however, as a stretch of stagnance dissipated United’s lead and left them down five midway through the period. 

But Melbourne fired back, as Oduro pinned a hawks layup with attitude for a block, which flowed into an Ingles to Waardenburg alley-oop connection on the other end, igniting the United faithful. 

The response wasn’t loud enough though, as Illawarra’s lightning pace fired back with a 12-0 run that left Melbourne down 48-35 with just under two minutes left in the half.

As the clock ticked down towards the break, United’s play became more urgent. Three straight buckets at the ring highlighted their relentless rim pressure, capped off by a posterising and-1 dunk from Travers. 

Despite this, some poor defence kept United at a 13 point deficit as they walked back to the locker room to end the half. 

A slow start to the second half meant the John Cain crowd laid dormant, and the deficit the same, until Anthony had had enough. The midrange master took on a pair of defenders with his tight handle before knocking down a signature pull-up jumper to get himself and the crowd in rhythm.

Compatriots Oduro and Anthony , feeding off of the crowd's energy, cut United’s deficit to 6 five minutes into the third scoring 10 points between them. 

A quick response from the Hawks stretched the deficit back out to 14, but another Anthony bucket, this time a gorgeous step-back 3, steadied the ship for United’s offence. 

The score took Anthony’s third quarter tally to nine, and his game total to 13, a team high to that point of the game. 

His excellence in the period was not enough however, as the third finished with Melbourne down 13, looking for answers in the fourth.

The final period started with a perfect connection from United’s backcourt. Anthony stripped a Hawks guard and hit Ili for an easy layup in the open-court. 

The former NBA-guard then picked up where he left off in the third, drilling a top-of-the-key three and a step-back midrange to bring the deficit back within single digits early. 

As Melbourne’s league best defence continued to show out, the home team capitalised on the other end, going on a 12-4 run to cut the deficit to five four minutes through the fourth. 

After forcing a Hawks air-ball on the other end, Ingles and Anthony took over. The former Orlando Magic teammates scored eight straight points for United, bringing them within four points setting up another electric comeback effort after last Saturday’s against the Phoenix.

With the game in the balance, and United down 83-87, a fake dribble hand-off between Travers and Anthony gave the former some downhill momentum to the ring, off of which he made a tough layup through contact for a two point trip down the floor. 

The bucket brought the home team within two for the first time since the second period. 

With two minutes left in the contest, Melbourne’s comeback effort reached a crescendo, as a steal on defence led to another Anthony jumper that was nothing-but-net. 

As time ticked down scoring continued back and forth, a Hawks three and a couple of Melbourne misses left the home team down two with four seconds left. 

Despite an open look for Travers at the buzzer, United were unable to get the win, and left the floor with an 89-91 loss. 

Although the boys in blue walked away with a loss, another valiant comeback effort demonstrated their resilience on the floor, and set the table for next week’s double header.

Melbourne United next take the floor as the away side against the Perth Wildcats on Friday October 23rd. The game is available to watch live on ESPN via Kayo or Disney+ at 9:30pm. 

They next take the floor inside John Cain Arena for their Multicultural Game against the Sydney Kings on Sunday October 25th at 5:00pm. 

To catch all the action in the best seat in the house, get your tickets here via AXS. 

If you can’t make it on the night, watch it live on ESPN via Kayo or Disney+.

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FULL BOX SCORE AVAILABLE HERE

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