Mitsubishi Match Recap: NBL25 Championship Series Game 5 v Illawarra Hawks

Melbourne United’s NBL25 campaign has come to an end following a road loss to the Illawarra Hawks in Game 5 of the Hungry Jack’s Championship Series.

The contest started well for the visitors, as Ian Clark led from the front to push Melbourne ahead by as many as 10 points in the first quarter.

The Hawks were able to fight back to close the period, tying the game up at 26-26 after the opening 10 minutes.

Looking to recapture the momentum, Jack White produced some strong play for United, tallying 10 points in the second quarter, however the Hawks' offence fully clicked into gear towards the back end of the period, helping the home side open up a 60-50 lead heading into half time.

Coming out of the major break, Melbourne looked to fight their way back into the contest, with Chris Goulding guiding his teammates.

The star shooter played all 10 minutes of the term, working his way to the free throw line to keep the scoreboard ticking over for United.

This kept Illawarra’s lead to 10 points as both teams entered the final quarter.

While Melbourne was able to quickly cut the lead to four points, that would unfortunately be as close as the team would come to pushing back in front.

The Hawks were able to come up with huge rebounds across the entire final period which helped them win the possession game and ultimately the NBL25 Championship on the back of a 114-104 victory.