Match Recap: NBL23 Round 5 vs Illawarra Hawks

Written by Melbourne United Media

Melbourne United have taken away a thrilling double overtime victory on the road, winning 106-100 in Wollongong against the Illawarra Hawks.

Sporting a new look starting lineup due to some injury shuffling, Lachie Barker and David Okwera made their impact felt early, with the former putting in the first points of the game, and latter crashing the boards to create extra opportunities.

This, plus some strong contributions from the bench, allowed United to keep it close for much of the quarter, as the Hawks rode Tyler Harvey’s hot hand.

Harvey knocked down three triples on his way to a 10-point first term that lifted Illawarra to a two-point advantage.

Needing some energy, United came out firing in the second quarter, as Isaac Humphries and Xavier Rathan-Mayes scored quickly to give the visitors the lead.

Despite this, the Hawks fought back, retaking the lead and pushing ahead by as many as five points.

Looking to stretch the floor, Melbourne’s shooters answered the call, as Humphries, Brad Newley and Chris Goilding all hit from beyond the arc to put United in a good position with only seconds remaining in the period.

A late steal from Payton Siva, who found a cutting Sam Froling to beat the buzzer meant Illawarra halted United’s momentum and gave the home-side a 35-36 lead going into the major break.

Coming out of half-time Melbourne’s bigs delivered, as Humphries and Okwera worked hard on both ends to keep the visitors in striking distance of the Hawks.

This opened up opportunities on the perimeter for CG43, who cashed in on another triple before rewarding Ice on multiple possessions inside for easy buckets.

Still trailing with a minute remaining in the quarter, the ever-reliable David Barlow came through huge to close the period, sinking a pair of deep looks to make the score 58-60 after three.

As if it could have played out any other way, the fourth was an absolute slugfest, with neither team giving in to the pressure.

Massive dunks from Dsav and Rayjon Tucker got the United bench on their feet, while Isaac Humphries laid in a clutch and-1 bucket to give Melbourne a four-point buffer with 40 seconds remaining.

The Hawks however refused to go away, knocking in two improbable three-pointers to send the game into overtime.

United got off to a slow start to OT, giving up the first six points before Xavier Rathan-Mayes took over.

XRM scored eight points in the extra period, including two insane triples to tie the game, before Isaac Humphries sent away Payton Siva’s last second attempt, keeping the game going for another five minutes of OT.

As if it could go any other way, XRM continued to deliver for Melbourne in what would be the final five minutes.

The Canadian guard sunk big shot after big shot, scoring 14 of his 32 points across both overtime periods, leading United to an exhausting victory.

The win ends a three-game slide for Melbourne as they head into their blockbuster Halloween clash against the Perth Wildcats on Monday evening at John Cain Arena.

Happening on the eve of the Melbourne Cup public holiday, United are hoping for another full-house! With tickets selling fast, get in quick to secure your seat!