The Tasmania JackJumpers have continued their recent dominance over Melbourne United by completing a stunning fourth-quarter comeback to record a spirited 94-90 victory.
Both sides entered Saturday night's clash at John Cain Arena desperate for a win having lost three of their past four games, but the home side needed to turn the tables on Tasmania after losing five of their last six meetings against the NBL newcomers.
The JackJumpers fell behind in the opening stages and trailed by as many as 13 points in the second quarter. However, the visitors chipped away at the deficit before outscoring United 7-0 in the final minute to cap a remarkable turnaround.
"In the huddle in the fourth quarter, when we started, we said we wanted to hold (United) to 15 points.
"I look down here and we held them to 15 points in that quarter," coach Scott Roth said after Tasmania's hustle on defence came to the fore in the closing stages.
"I'm just incredibly proud of all these guys and the fight they have in them - they just never give up. It's not always pretty but people in Tasmania expect us to fight like this, win or lose."
JackJumpers guard Milton Doyle scored a team-high 23 points and played a crucial role in his team's late charge, including a three-point play that levelled the scores with 50 seconds to play and the go-ahead basket 20 seconds later.
"(Doyle) is quite smooth and easygoing, and looks like he's not doing a lot but then he has these explosions where he's just really tough to handle," Roth said about his team's leading scorer.
Having lost five of their eight home games this season, United looked to club captain Chris Goulding to give them a fast start. He responded with 13 points in the first quarter as the home side jumped out to a 31-23 lead.
Tasmania managed to slow Melbourne's momentum in the second period but Xavier Rathan-Mayes stepped up to settle United and ensure the home side took a 53-47 lead into the main break.
Melbourne struck early in the third stanza with a 6-0 start to double their halftime advantage. However, Tasmania refused to yield and Jack McVeigh nailed a three-pointer early in the final quarter to cut the margin to one point.
United still appeared to have the answers as Tasmania missed multiple chances to hit the front.
But despite Rayjon Tucker's double-double (23 points, 10 rebounds) and Goulding's 21 points, Melbourne imploded in the closing minutes and two costly turnovers allowed Tasmania to grab the lead at the death.
