{"id":42350,"date":"2025-01-14T12:27:31","date_gmt":"2025-01-14T02:27:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/basketball\/?p=42350"},"modified":"2025-01-14T12:27:33","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T02:27:33","slug":"united-sixers-impress-in-double-header","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/basketball\/united-sixers-impress-in-double-header\/","title":{"rendered":"United, Sixers impress in double-header"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MONDAY night in the National Basketball League (NBL) saw back-to-back clashes take place in the sixteenth round of the season, with Melbourne United<\/a> and the Adelaide 36ers<\/a> both claiming wins in their respective clashes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kicking things off was a clash between United and the New Zealand Breakers<\/a> at TSB Stadium early in the evening. United were looking to move closer towards locking in a top-two spot while the Breakers were playing for pride having slid down the ladder in dramatic fashion of late, and playing without star point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the disparity in form between the two sides, the game ended up going down to the wire, with a magnificent Chris Goulding<\/a> performance proving the difference as Melbourne ended up emerging two-point winners in dramatic fashion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goulding capped off a starring showing (42 points, 10 three-pointers) with the game winning triple with less than a second on the clock. After Matt Mooney<\/a> nailed a triple to give the Breakers a one-point lead, United snatched back the lead on the back of a tough Goulding three-ball that ultimately won the match for the visiting side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inbounding the ball down one point, it looked as if Melbourne was going to repeat the play that won the game against the Sydney Kings<\/a> just a few days earlier, where an off-ball screen allowed a cutting Jack White<\/a> to get an open layup at the hoop. However, White instead caught the ball outside the arc, passed to Goulding as a wrapped around and with Jonah Bolden<\/a> slightly sagging off, the veteran shooter made no mistake, winning the match for Melbourne with a long-range dagger sealing a two-point triumph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Melbourne
Chris Goulding was the matchwinner in Melbourne’s clash against the Breakers. Photo: AAP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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It was Goulding’s 10th three-pointer for the match, putting him in the history books alongside Dejan Vasiljevic<\/a>, Bryce Cotton<\/a> and Jermaine Beal<\/strong> as equal-most triples in an NBL match. His 42 points continues a remarkable season from the United skipper, who keeps defying his age with a tremendous campaign. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mooney tried valiantly to drag the Breakers over the line, posting 19 points and eight assists in a near match-winning performance, while Next Star Karim Lopez<\/a> was also impressive with 19 points of his own in a mature outing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The action continued with a hefty upset from the 36ers, who knocked off the ladder-leading Illawarra Hawks<\/a> in a statement three-point win at Adelaide Entertainment Centre on Monday night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was an excellent showing from the Sixers in the first half, jumping out to a lead as big as 25 with Montrezl Harrell<\/a> producing 18 points, while Dejan Vasiljevic<\/a> accounted for 16 points himself prior to the main break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the Hawks made a charge in the second half, restricting the Sixers to just 28 points in the final two quarters. A career-night from Sam Froling<\/a> ensured the Hawks got the lead down to just three points in the final stages of the match, but Tyler Harvey<\/a>‘s game-tying triple did not find the bottom of the net as Adelaide kept its season alive with a third win over the Hawks this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harrell finished the game with 26 points and nine rebounds, while fellow import Kendric Davis<\/a> added another impressive performance to his MVP-calibre season with 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Froling was clearly Illawarra’s best, showing his potential with a massive double-double of 35 points and 13 rebounds to almost inspire a remarkable comeback from the Hawks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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