WWAG Match Recap: NBL23 Round 9 v SEM Phoenix

Written by Melbourne United

Melbourne United have lost a hard fought battle in Throwdown XIX on Saturday night.

After a slow start United’s scorers got going, with Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Chris Goulding each connected on tough layups.

Missing starting center Isaac Humphries, Marcus Lee made his impact on the game quickly, throwing down an alley-oop jam to excite the Melbourne fans in attendance.

While he did pick up a pair of fouls, Lee was supported well by David Barlow, who showcased his skill off the bench.

Barlow and Goulding cashed in on back-to-back threes, with the former adding some elite defence to slow down the Phoenix.

Trailing by just two points with time winding down in the term, SEM were able to connect on a buzzer-beating triple, stretching the lead out to 18-23. 

Looking to stay hot, Barlow picked up right where he left off, sinking another deep look.

While United were poised to take control of the contest, turnovers (11) and fouls (11 leading to 11 points from the free-throw line) proved costly, allowing SEM to take a 12-point lead.

Some aggressive play from Rayjon Tucker (eight first-half points), another oop to Marcus Lee and a late CG three-ball helped MU cut into that lead, shrinking the Phoenix’s lead to seven points heading into the major break. 

Coming out of half-time, Dean Vickerman made the decision to start Brad Newley, which appeared to pay off immediately.

The veteran scored six of his eight points in the quarter, helping United to claw their way back into the game.

Lee and XRM were equally important, as the big-man sent away shots while Rathan-Mayes connected on a number of big buckets.

Trailing by six points with the clock winding down, Mason Peatling, who was huge for United off the bench all night (11 rebounds in 18 minutes) gave his side a huge shot in the arm, slamming home a putback dunk in the closing seconds provide some energy heading into the final 10 minutes.

United scrapped and fought throughout the entire fourth quarter, showcasing their toughness in front of the SEM crowd.

The trio of XRM, CG43 and Tucker all came up large, putting in big buckets to eventually tie the game at 72, however that would be as close as Melbourne would come to securing victory.

The Phoenix were able to hold on down the stretch holding on for a 72-78 win. 

United will look to bounce back quickly when they head on the road to face the Illawarra Hawks on Monday night from 7:30 AEDT. 

Fans can stream the game live on ESPN via Kayo and Foxtel.