Brown blitz as Taipans fire past United

A stunning 35-14 final quarter avalanche by the Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans has secured a 107-95 victory over Melbourne United at John Cain Arena on Saturday night.

Sparked by import point guard Jaylon Brown, who scored 14 of his 20 points in the final 10 minutes, the Taipans showed character and resilience after United had all the momentum going into three-quarter time.

Brown did not connect on a field goal in the first half, but when he swished his second of three triples for the night, the Taipans were on an 11-0 run to start the fourth quarter to retake the lead 83-81 with eight minutes to play.

Cairns never surrendered the lead for the rest of the journey, with solid defense and smart execution offensively down the stretch leading to the 12-point success, the Taipans’ fourth win in their past six trips to United’s home court.

Keanu Pinder was huge at both ends of the floor, scoring a team-high 27 points to go with three rebounds and three assists, while it was a career-night for Reyne Smith, who had five three-pointers in his 21 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Jack McVeigh was also a force at both ends of the floor, connecting on some big shots in his 20 points, while also dishing four assists to go with three rebounds and three steals.

TRIPLES BEGIN TO FALL

Coming into the game shooting only 28 per cent from the three-point line, the Taipans caught fire – connecting on 50 percent in the opening half, including six-of-10 in the second quarter.

Smith swished a triple, then converted on a four-point play as the Taipans went on a 9-3 run to open a 40-32 lead.

But the hosts responded as foul trouble again struck the Taipans late in the second quarter, but another three-pointer, this time from McVeigh, saw Cairns take a 47-46 lead into the main interval.

Cairns would finish the contest with 15 three-pointers at 38 per cent, including some big hits from Brown and Smith during the final quarter burst.

Six Taipans connecting from beyond the arc, and four players finished in double-figure points in a well-rounded team performance.

BOLDEN SHOWS GREAT SIGNS

Jonah Bolden had an instant impact after entering the contest within the first 52 seconds after two quick fouls to Pinder.

The 203cm power forward/centre stepped up and swished two three-pointers of his own and held down the low post defensively against United’s import big man Josh Oduro.

Bolden scored six points and grabbed six rebounds in eight minutes of action in the first quarter as the Taipans took an 18-14 lead into the first break.

The 30-year-old has proved his worth so far in NBL27, being an impact player off the bench, including hauling down 13 rebounds in his Taipans debut against the Kings.

Bolden connected on another triple to finish with nine points, but it was his 10 rebounds, a team-high, which went a long way to securing the crucial road victory.

ANTHONY HEROICS NOT ENOUGH

Before the frantic final quarter frenzy from the Taipans, United’s star man Cole Anthony had all but secured a much-needed victory for the hosts.

Anthony, who scored a game-high 40 points before fouling out late, inspired United in the third quarter as Melbourne outscored Cairns 35-25 after the Taipans took a one-point lead into the main break.

The home side went on a 12-0 run early in the third quarter for a 58-52 lead before McVeigh snapped the momentum from the free throw line.

Already missing sharp-shooter Chris Goulding (calf), Anthony had to take over more of the scoring responsibilities and put his side on his back, but he had a slow start, missing seven of his first eight field goal attempts.

The 367-game NBA point guard scored 14 points in the second quarter, by making his way to the free throw line to get the scoreboard ticking over, before adding another 16 in the third quarter.

WHAT’S NEXT

After finishing the three-game road trip with a hard-fought victory, the Taipans return to Far North Queensland to host Brisbane Bullets at the Cairns Convention Centre on Thursday night. Point guard Shaun Bruce (groin) is set to return, while Luke Paul (ankle) is set to make his long-awaited NBL debut.

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‍CAIRNS TAIPANS 107 (Pinder 27, Smith 21, J Brown 20, J McVeigh 20) def MELBOURNE UNITED 95 (Anthony 40, Machar 14, Oduro 11) at John Cain Arena, Melbourne.

BOX SCORE