Match Facts
Melbourne United 85 (Goulding 29 points, Loul-Acul 26 points 21 rebounds Dellavadova 11 points)
defeated by
Tasmania JackJumpers 94 (McVeigh 17 points, McIntosh 16 points, Adams 16 points)
Boxscore
Summary
It took 31 years, but the drought of Tasmanian NBL teams losing in Melbourne has been emphatically broken by the Tasmania JackJumpers. On the back of strong shooting from the entire squad, Tasmania handed the ladder leading Melbourne United a 94-85 defeat.
The win extends the JackJumpers streak to 4 and their first win outside of Tasmania.
The match was built as a battle between the two best defensive teams in the league, but the match quickly turned into a shoot out. Nine quick points by the visitors followed by consecutive triples from Josh Adams gave the visitors an 15-9 lead in the opening four minutes. Despite Melbourne coach pleading for his players to close out better, the points came easy for Tasmania from an unlikely source.
Mikyle Mcinitosh, an import scrutinised for his lack of productivity so far in NBL22, stepped in for his best game of the season. Entering the game with 3 minutes to play in the 1st, he led the JackJumpers on a 12-2 run, including 9 points of his own.
The JackJumpers ended the 1st with 36-24 lead, setting the record for the highest scoring quarter in NBL 22.
First 3 of the game! Magette bringing his magic early!
— Tasmania JackJumpers 🐜 (@JackJumpers) February 6, 2022
Make sure you’re tuning in on @ESPNAusNZ via @kayosports Freebies + @10PeachAu! pic.twitter.com/jdGpIfbPw9
Not surprisingly, Melbourne United came out in the second quarter and locked down on defense. The shots were not as easy to come by, but the JackJumpers were able to hit the scoreboard ticking over from the foul line. At the other end, Melbourne’s Chris Goulding was finding his range from outside. After a scoreless performance in last weeks overtime loss to Adelaide, Goulding had 16 first half points. Lual-Acuil was also a becoming problem for Tasmania at both ends of the floor. His size made him a constant target under the basket on offence, and was cleaning up on the glass at both ends.
The second half saw the United make a run back at the JackJumpers. Despite holding a 12 point lead, Melbourne evaporated that lead as they opened the half on a 19-4 run, and look destined to overrun the JackJumpers. But late threes by McIntosh, McDaniel and Krislovic capped off an 11-0 run to end the quarter up by 7.
Outwit. Outplay. Outlast.
— Tasmania JackJumpers 🐜 (@JackJumpers) February 6, 2022
But can we be the Survivor?
We’ve got a tense game on our hands – tune in on @10PeachAu and @ESPNAusNZ via @kayosports pic.twitter.com/H1KVaSniFm
The game turned again when Lual- Acuil scored the 8 straight points and they retook the lead. With the offence stagnant Jack McVeigh stepped up by attacking the basket and getting himself to the line multiple times.
The final minutes were an arm-wrestle, but threes from McVeigh and Magette and multiple defensive stops pushed Tassie to an unlikely victory. McVeigh again was huge in getting to the line multiple times, going 8/8 in the final quarter. A full court press in the final moments by Melbourne was broken and a slam by Magnay sealed the upset victory.
The least surprised person in John Cain by the upset was Jackjumpers coach Scott Roth.
“I said from day one I want to win a championship this year. I want to be in the playoffs this year,” Scott Roth said.
“It might be far-fetched to some, but you’re in professional sports and you’re just trying to win every game you possibly can and develop this franchise.
“We’ll see where it all ends at the end of the day, but we’re here to compete, we’re here to go after people, make people uncomfortable and we’ll just see how it all shakes out,” he said.
Embed from Getty ImagesKey takeaways from the game
Breakout game for McKyle McIntosh
As mentioned earlier, this was a huge game for MiKyle McIntosh. His 16 points was a season high, and he proved a difficult matchup to for united, particularly when he was backing down on the high post.
3 point shooting
They didn’t put up as many threes as they did against Sydney. But they shot 12/27 (44%) from outside, with eight players knocking at least one down.
McVeigh’s strong form continues
He stepped up where it counted with 11 of of his 17 points coming in the final quarter. He looks far more confident in his starting role and being able to contribute to the team.
Matt Kenyon
Not a renowned as an offensive player, Matt Kenyon has started to show his ability to score. Scoring 9 points tonight, a lot of his points came when the team was struggling. He is looking far more confident in his role as a starter and more willing to shoot the open shot from outside.
