A Milton Doyle masterclass in the final quarter has inspired Tasmania to a sensational come-from-behind 80-75 victory over Melbourne United at John Cain Arena on Sunday.
The match was a dour arm wrestle for the first two-and-a-half periods before Melbourne bench players Ian Clark and Robert Loe helped catapult United to what looked like a decisive 13-point lead with 8:26 left in the game.
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But Doyle had other ideas as he exploded to drain four three-pointers which powered a spectacular 20-3 run as the JackJumpers regained the lead with 19.1 seconds remaining and didn’t give it back.
Shea Ili had the chance to give Melbourne back the lead with 1:14 to go, but missed an easy lay-up, and he then missed a three with 7.2 seconds left which would’ve tied the game at 78-78.
Doyle hit 14 of his 25 points in the final quarter, and finished the game with a 5-14 clip from deep (35 per cent) as well as eight rebounds and a steal.
Jordon Crawford was also key to the victory, registering 18 points, including his team’s first 10, and six assists, while Jack McVeigh chipped in with 13 points.
For United, Clark (11 points) and Loe (10, seven rebounds and a block) almost guided their team to victory, while Ariel Hukporti produced another impressive display with 15 points on 7-8 shooting (87 per cent), seven rebounds and a block.
Crawford largely played a lone hand in the opening term as Chris Goulding (12 points) and Hukporti led United to an 18-13 lead just before quarter-time on the back of a strong defensive showing.
Both teams traded buckets into the early part of the second period, before a quick five points from Doyle levelled things up at 24-24. The hosts responded with a 7-0 run to open up a seven-point buffer, but Tassie cancelled that out with a 7-0 run of their own to tie the scores again at 31-31 with 2:32 before halftime.
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Little continued to separate the two teams but after Ili helped Melbourne to a handy 42-37 lead early in the third quarter, the JackJumpers hit back again with a 9-2 run to lead by one with 5:24 left in the period. The lead then changed three times in 35 seconds before Clark and Loe combined with devastating effect to catapult United to a 61-53 lead at the final change.
Melbourne looked on course to maintain their undefeated start to the season when they led 68-55 shortly after three-quarter time, but Doyle put paid to that notion.
The result saw the JackJumpers join a logjam of five teams at the top of the ladder all with 2-1 records, including title favourites Melbourne. The cluster will grow to six if Sydney beat Adelaide later in the day.
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