United Eliminate JackJumpers to Keep Season Alive

Alexander Bebendorf

Melbourne United have kept their postseason hopes alive with an 82–68 win over the Tasmania JackJumpers in Thursday night’s Play-In Qualifier at John Cain Arena.

In a game where both teams were dealing with significant absences, Melbourne found the decisive edge late, pulling away in the fourth quarter to eliminate Tasmania and move one step closer to the playoffs.

Finn Delany produced the standout performance of the night, finishing with a season-best 33 points and six rebounds on highly efficient shooting. Milton Doyle also played a key role with 17 points, six assists and five rebounds, while Tanner Krebs added 11 points.

Tasmania entered the contest severely short-handed and were forced to rely heavily on their starting five, who carried the vast majority of the minutes. Despite that, the JackJumpers remained competitive throughout much of the night and trailed by just a single point heading into the final quarter.

Nick Marshall led the scoring for Tasmania with 20 points while playing the full 40 minutes, with Josh Bannan and David Johnson adding 16 points each. Tyger Campbell also contributed 12 points and six assists in the hard-fought effort.

Melbourne held a 40–31 lead at halftime and maintained control for most of the third quarter, but Tasmania refused to fade and closed the period strongly to cut the margin to 56–55 entering the final term.

United responded at the start of the fourth quarter with a decisive 13–4 run that finally created separation. From there, Melbourne steadily extended the lead to secure the 14-point victory and end Tasmania’s season.

The result sends Melbourne United on the road to face the Perth Wildcats in the next Play-In game, with the winner advancing to a playoff series against the top-seeded Sydney Kings.