Three minutes and 57 seconds of absolute Chris Goulding mayhem has lifted Melbourne United to an unlikely come-from-behind 106-97 win over Perth Wildcats at John Cain Arena on Saturday night.
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Goulding was white hot in a third quarter, which saw United turn a 14-point half-time deficit into a six-point lead, when he went to the bench receiving a standing ovation for adoring United fans.
At one point, United trailed by as much as 19, but that was before Goulding went on a personal 22-6 rampage as the Wildcats had no answer to his shooting ability from beyond the arc.
The 36-year-old United captain was rested just before three quarter time with 35 points, including 25 in a third period, in which he drained six three-pointers.
Goulding re-emerged in the fourth quarter to finish with 46 points on 16-32 shooting, including 9-21 from three-point land.
Calf concern
The victory has come at a cost for United with star forward Jack White injuring a calf before half time.
White, who was United’s leading scorer with 12 points in the first half, was seen with ice on his left calf and was ruled out for the second half.
After being embarrassed on their home floor by New Zealand Breakers on Cup eve, United was keen to get redemption in front of their home fans.
At times, it looked as though United’s home horrors would continue into the week after they bounced back with a win over the Bullets on Thursday, but Goulding refused to let it happen again.
The Wildcats were on the prowl early, leading 23-14 after hitting 10 of their opening 12 shots.
Spanish sensation
Izan Almansa, a surprise addition to the Wildcats starting lineup at the expense of star Keanu Pinder, was very active in his first stint with his length causing a few problems for the home side at both ends.
The 19-year-old next star from Spain scored career-high 19 points as the Wildcats burst to a 23-14 lead and he achieved that before half time.
Almansa’s athleticism was a positive for the Wildcats on the defensive end as he helped change United shots.
Pinder had an instant impact off the bench, forcing United coach Dean Vickerman to turn to centre Marcus Lee to stem the bleeding in the paint.
Lee’s injection into the game paid immediate dividends as he soared for a big dunk, but more importantly locked in defensively.
Somehow, United edged in front at quarter time, but were aided by a questionable unsportsmanlike foul called on Pinder in the open court on Lee, where it appeared as though Lee might have pushed off in the first instance.
After going scoreless in 17 minutes in the win over Tasmania on Thursday night, Wildcats guard Dylan Windler started to find his range, while exciting forward Kristian Doolittle connected on his first four shots as the visitors flexed their offensive muscle.
It was all one-way traffic in the second as the Wildcats lead blew out to a substantial 19 late in the second.
Doolittle, who drained a floater to make it a 65-51 Wildcats lead at half time, and Almansa each scored 17 first half points. Doolittle finished with a team-high 21.
CG43 calls game
Goulding was on fire in the third with teammates seeking him out at every opportunity..
The veteran single handedly erased United’s 14-point halftime deficit with his ridiculous third term lifting United to a second consecutive win, moving them to second on the ladder.
It’s the third-most points ever scored by an individual in a NBL game in the 40-minute era and the second-best effort of Goulding’s career, having scored 50 points for the Melbourne Tigers in 2014.
“It’s the sort of performance that will be talked about for years to come,” ESPN’s Jack Heverin said.
NBL legend Andrew Gaze added: “It was special … he hit some tough ones.
“He also did a terrific job of getting to the rim and didn’t continue to blaze away.
“Sometimes there’s not a lot you can do (as the opposition).”
NBL SCOREBOARD
Melbourne United 106 (Goulding 46 Lee 13 White 12) d Perth Wildcats 97 (Doolittle 21 Almansa 19 Henshall 15)
At John Cain Arena, Melbourne.
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