WWAG NBL24 Match Recap - Round 13 v Cairns Taipans

After a slow start, Chris Goulding was the one to get United on the board in far north Queensland, getting to the hoop for Melbourne’s opening score.

While the Taipans held onto their lead for the first 10 minutes of action, MU’s collection of star talent came to play, with eight different players finding the bottom of the net.

Despite this, Cairns maintained control in front of their home fans, taking a seven-point lead into the first break.

Needing to cut into the Taipans lead, Matthew Dellavedova and Ian Clark each worked their way inside for floaters.

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr followed this up with a strong putback slam before CG43 cashed in his first deep-ball of the game, further reducing the deficit.

Melbourne were able to come within one point of tying the game, however a strong defensive performance from the home side put a stop to United’s run, with Cairns taking a five-point advantage into half-time.

The Taipans pressure wouldn’t let up as the third period started, pulling ahead by as many as 10 points, however after a successful coaches challenge from Dean Vickerman, United started rolling.

Goulding splashed home a trio of three-pointers, which combined with an Ian Clark floater, gave the visitors their first lead of the night.

This was unfortunately short-lived, as a Cairns triple in the final seconds took the lead back from Melbourne, wrestling away much of MU’s momentum.

Come the final quarter, United simply looked a step behind, with the Taipans blazing away across the last 10 minutes to hand Melbourne their largest loss of the season.

United will next hit the court on 4 January in Sydney against the Kings from 7:30pm.