Match Recap: NBL25 Round 3, Game 1 v Perth Wildcats

Melbourne United have recorded the largest win of NBL25 so far, smashing the Perth Wildcats on the road by 29 points.

It was a back and forth battle for the first five minutes of the contest, with both sides hitting the scoreboard early and often.

Rob Loe got United going with a score around the basket, which was followed by some piping hot shooting from Ian Clark.

The American guard was getting it done from all over the court, knocking down two three-pointers, a pair of layups and a floater from the paint to lead all scorers with 12 points after one term.

Jack White was just as strong, splashing his own triple before getting to the rim, while Marcus Lee rose up above everyone for a monstrous alley-oop slam.

This helped Melbourne pull ahead by nine-points to close the first quarter.

While some early buckets from the Wildcats cut United’s advantage back down to six points, Dean Vickerman’s men looked close to unstoppable for much of the second period.

Shea Ili pushed the pace on the offensive end, creating opportunities for himself and his teammates, such as Loe, who added six points of his own in the quarter.

Chris Goulding found himself open from deep, cashing in on his first long-range make of the game, which in turn allowed him to draw the defence in, leading to another huge slam from Lee.

Just when it seemed like things couldn’t get better for United, Lee went upstairs once again, catching an Ili pass from half court and throwing it down to put Melbourne in front 64-41 heading into the major break.

Not content with just blazing away through their effort scoring the ball, United’s stars continued to lock down Perth, silencing the crowd with their elite defence.

Melbourne held the Wildcats to just 13 points in the third quarter, fuelled by the on-ball mastery of Ili and stout rim protection of Loe, Lee and White.

Clark and Ili kept the scoreboard ticking over for United, combining for four three-pointers to put the visitors up by 29 points with 10 minutes remaining.

With the result all but in hand, Melbourne stars put the cherry on top of what would become their ninth win in their last 10 games against the Wildcats inside RAC Arena.

Clark floated in a shot to bring his total up to 25 points, equalling his NBL career high, Ili dished out his ninth assist to go along with a tough finish at the hoop, and White swatted his third shot of the game.

Akech Aliir entered the game following this, registering his first career points in the contest, while Joel Foxwell found his teammates for a two dimes in his first even NBL game.

Foxwell now becomes the youngest player to ever hit the court for United.

Ultimately, Melbourne were too good throughout the contest, finishing with the largest ever win from a visiting team inside RAC Arena; a 97-68 victory.

Melbourne United will next face the Cairns Taipans at John Cain Arena from 2:30pm on Sunday in the team’s first home game of the season.

Limited tickets remain available here.