WWAG NBL24 Match Recap - Playoffs Game 2 v Illawarra Hawks

With the chance to lock in their place in a Grand Final series, Melbourne United came out like a house on fire in Wollongong.

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr worked his way inside for a pair of baskets sandwiching a Luke Travers putback to see the visitors score the game’s first six points.

United’s frontline pairing dominated for much of the quarter, with JLA scoring 11 points in just over five minutes, while Travers locked down on defence.

The rest of United’s depth were able to keep up this scoring punch once Lual-Acuil Jr went to the bench, with seven different players finding the bottom of the net to help MU push in front by six points at quarter time.

Eager to keep this run going, Melbourne found themselves in a firefight throughout the entire second period.

A pair of triples from Ian Clark and Kyle Bowen gave United energy, however Illawarra’s Gary Clark looked close to unguardable for stretches.

Across his 17 first half minutes, the American contributed 18 points, seven rebounds and two assists, helping the Hawks push in front mid-way through the quarter.

Some strong plays at both ends of the floor from Travers, Goulding and Clark allowed Melbourne to reduce the gap to just one point heading into half-time.

The frenetic nature of the contest didn’t change when the teams returned from the major break, with the lead ping-ponging around across all ten minutes of action.

Steals from the likes of Shea Ili and Travers allowed United to get out and run before Clark tallied five quick points on back-to-back possessions.

Needing to create a buffer, Melbourne’s defensive pressure went to another level, forcing missed shots and turnovers resulting in a huge dunk from Ariel Hukporti.

A late Shea Ili three-pointer put the visitors up by four points, however a buzzer beating Froling layup closed the gap to two points going into the fourth.

It was a slow start for Melbourne, having to wait two and a half-minutes for their first score of the term, allowing the Hawks to take advantage.

Illawarra extended its lead to as many as six points, forcing United to play catchup for the vast majority of the quarter.

Dellavedova continued his strong performance, working his way inside for tough finishes before Ili and Clark knocked down a pair of triples.

This all led into a 6-0 run from Melbourne, culminating in a dunk from Lual-Acuil Jr to put Melbourne up by two points.

After more frantic play, the Hawks were left with a final opportunity to tie the game with seconds remaining, which they capitalised on after Davo Hickey put in a layup as time expired to send the game into overtime.

While United were able to pull ahead by three points mid-way through the extra period, mistakes came back to hurt them, ultimately falling by five points on the road.

Game 3 will now take place on Wednesday at John Cain Arena from 7:30pm.

The reserved members pre-sale tickets window will be open from 6pm on Sunday evening until 11am on Monday morning.

All other members will be able to purchase their tickets from 3pm on Monday afternoon, while general public sales open from 5pm on Monday.