WWAG Match Recap: NBL23 Round 16 v Adelaide 36ers

Written by Melbourne United Media 

Melbourne United have continued their hot run of form, securing a seven-point victory against the 36ers in Adelaide.

Playing for the first time in United’s retro jerseys, Chris Goulding looked as comfortable as ever, catching fire in the opening two minutes.

CG43 cashed in on a pair of threes on his first two touches before doing some work inside the arc, accounting for Melbourne’s first 10 points.

While he didn’t get on the scoreboard during that stretch, Rayjon Tucker was instrumental, drawing a pair of fouls on Sixers star Antonius Cleveland.

Cleveland would pick up his third foul shortly after, hitting Shea Ili on a three-point attempt which helped push United’s lead out further.

Adelaide worked hard to stay in the game, coming close to taking the lead before Marcus Lee and David Okwera combined for seven quick points.

This, as well as a Brad Newley buzzer-beating tip in game gave the visitors a 28-21 advantage after 10-minutes.

After a hot first term, United cooled off in the second.

It took Melbourne over two minutes to get on the board while the 36ers went on a run, drawing within one point before Mason Peatling found the bottom of the net.

A Tucker triple and Goulding mid-range had United back in front comfortably, but simple mistakes came back to bite them.

Across the first half, Melbourne gave up 14 second chance points and 17-points from turnovers, allowing Adelaide to gain some momentum before ultimately taking a 39-40 lead in the final seconds of the term.

Coming out of the major break Chris Goulding lit the nets at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre alight.

CG scored 11-points in short order, bringing his total up to 26-points for the game.

While the Sixers fought back, taking a one point lead late in the quarter, Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Rayjon Tucker took over with their deep shooting.

The duo cashed in on four triples on four consecutive possessions, ultimately giving Melbourne a 70-64 lead heading into the final period.

After a back and forth start to the fourth, Melbourne opened up some breathing room, pulling ahead by as many as 11-points thanks to tough shot-making from XRM, CG43 and Tucker.

As they had all game, the Sixers made a strong run, closing the gap to just two points with two minutes remaining.

Needing big stops, United came through in the clutch, shutting down Adelaide’s scorers in the final two minutes to pick up an enormous W.

The win is Melbourne’s fifth in a row, lifting their record to 14-12 ahead of their next game on the road in New Zealand next Saturday at 5:30pm AEDT.