Melbourne United come from behind to defeat JackJumpers

Melbourne United have come from 16 points down to defeat the Tasmania JackJumpers 94-92 in a thrilling re-match of last season’s NBL grand final.

United’s hold on second spot looked shaky when they trailed 61-45 with a minute remaining in the first half of Saturday night’s match at John Cain Arena.

A hot run either side of half-time and a 12-0 run to start the final term catapulted Melbourne into the lead.

But in a thrilling finish, a miss each at the stripe from Shea Ili and Tanner Krebs in the last 10 seconds left the door ajar for Tasmania to snatch victory or send the match into overtime.

With seven seconds remaining and United clinging to a two-point lead, star JackJumpers guard Jordon Crawford raced the ball down the court for one final hurrah, only to lose control as he looked set to drive to the rim.

The result means Tasmania (12-16), who have lost six consecutive matches, need a mini miracle in order to finish sixth and secure a play-in berth.

For United, they are 18-10 and in the box seat to lock down second spot with just one game (against South East Melbourne) to come.

Ili finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists in a star display for Melbourne.

But it was Kyle Bowen’s contribution of 15 points and eight rebounds, including four offensive boards, that really caught the eye.

With Jack White on limited minutes due to a back injury, Bowen made the most of his extended stay on the court to help get Melbourne back into the contest.

Crawford top scored for Tasmania with 20 points, while Milton Doyle finished with 19.

Melbourne committed six turnovers to one in an error-riddle opening term as the JackJumpers headed into quarter-time with a shock 32-21 lead.

Play was stopped for a minute during the opening quarter when referee Marc Mill was forced off after appearing to snap his Achilles tendon.

United coach Dean Vickerman challenged his team to hold Tasmania to just 18 points in the second term, but the visitors had other ideas.

Alarm bells were ringing for the home side when two triples from Doyle, including a brilliant catch-and-pass shot with one minute remaining in the half, extended the margin to 16 points.

But Chris Goulding’s three-pointer on the buzzer – which came just after Ili’s own long-range bomb – reduced the damage greatly, with Melbourne entering the long break down 61-51 instead of 61-45.

Cheered on by a bustling home crowd, Melbourne continued to make inroads early in the third quarter.

But it was the last term – which Melbourne opened with 12 consecutive points – that really turned the contest on its head.

Tasmania scored just 15 points in the final term, with the poor finish to the match all but ending their title defence.