Cairns defeated Melbourne 93-92 in a low-scoring affair decided by a single point. Melbourne's offensive rebounding rate of 36.2% proved to be a major factor, as they generated 17 offensive boards compared to Cairns' 3, resulting in 19 extra possessions. Conversely, Cairns shot efficiently, connecting on 61.5% of their field goals while limiting Melbourne to 41.8%. The game featured a chaotic final minute where Cairns built a 92-89 lead with 2:06 remaining, but a three-pointer by Goulding with 1:43 left tied the score at 92-92. Cairns then secured the win with a steal and a free throw in the final seconds. Goulding led Melbourne with 27 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including five three-pointers, but was outplayed by Cairns' Jack McVeigh and Sam Waardenburg, who combined for 40 points and 18 rebounds. Cairns' assist-to-turnover ratio (22-16) was superior to Melbourne's (14-9), contributing to their successful execution in the clutch.
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | FG | FG% | 3P | 3P% | FT | FT% | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⭐ Chris GouldingC. Goulding (#43) (C) | 30:02 | 27 | 1 | 1 | 8-15 | 53.3 | 5-11 | 45.5 | 6-7 | 85.7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | -6 |
| ⭐ Milton DoyleM. Doyle (#35) | 22:11 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 6-15 | 40.0 | 2-8 | 25.0 | 1-1 | 100.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | +0 |
| ⭐ Finn DelanyF. Delany (#7) | 28:08 | 14 | 5 | 4 | 5-9 | 55.6 | 1-3 | 33.3 | 3-3 | 100.0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | +19 |
| ⭐ Tyson WalkerT. Walker (#2) | 32:47 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 5-16 | 31.2 | 0-6 | 0.0 | 2-2 | 100.0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +4 |
| ⭐ Jesse EdwardsJ. Edwards (#14) | 21:35 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 4-5 | 80.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 3-4 | 75.0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | +3 |
| Tanner KrebsT. Krebs (#13) | 16:35 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 2-6 | 33.3 | 0-2 | 0.0 | 0-1 | 0.0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +14 |
| Tom WilsonT. Wilson (#12) | 05:06 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1-2 | 50.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 1-1 | 100.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -1 |
| Dash DanielsD. Daniels (#4) | 12:51 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1-5 | 20.0 | 0-2 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -14 |
| Kyle BowenK. Bowen (#15) | 11:56 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0-2 | 0.0 | 0-1 | 0.0 | 2-4 | 50.0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -20 |
| Fabijan KrslovicF. Krslovic (#18) | 18:26 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1-4 | 25.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -4 |
| Malith MacharM. Machar (#9) | 00:35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0 |
| TEAM TOTALS | - | 92 | 39 | 14 | 33-79 | 41.8 | 8-33 | 24.2 | 18-23 | 78.3 | 17 | 22 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 27 | - |
| Player | MIN | PTS | REB | AST | FG | FG% | 3P | 3P% | FT | FT% | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | +/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ⭐ Jack McVeighJ. McVeigh (#9) | 40:00 | 20 | 9 | 4 | 7-11 | 63.6 | 2-6 | 33.3 | 4-5 | 80.0 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +1 |
| ⭐ Sam WaardenburgS. Waardenburg (#21) (C) | 31:53 | 20 | 9 | 0 | 7-9 | 77.8 | 2-2 | 100.0 | 4-5 | 80.0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | -12 |
| ⭐ Andrew AndrewsA. Andrews (#12) | 38:59 | 13 | 3 | 13 | 4-10 | 40.0 | 1-4 | 25.0 | 4-6 | 66.7 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | +1 |
| ⭐ Kyrin GallowayK. Galloway (#14) | 22:56 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 4-5 | 80.0 | 3-4 | 75.0 | 2-2 | 100.0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | +1 |
| ⭐ Mojave KingM. King | 15:23 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1-5 | 20.0 | 0-2 | 0.0 | 1-2 | 50.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -12 |
| Marcus LeeM. Lee (#24) | 15:56 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 4-5 | 80.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 1-5 | 20.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | +4 |
| Kody StattmannK. Stattmann (#6) | 12:57 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2-3 | 66.7 | 2-2 | 100.0 | 2-2 | 100.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +5 |
| Lachlan BarkerL. Barker (#38) | 12:32 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 2-2 | 100.0 | 1-1 | 100.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +6 |
| Admiral SchofieldA. Schofield (#5) | 09:27 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1-2 | 50.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 0-0 | 0.0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | +11 |
| TEAM TOTALS | - | 93 | 33 | 22 | 32-52 | 61.5 | 11-21 | 52.4 | 18-27 | 66.7 | 3 | 30 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 22 | - |
| Team | eFG% | TOV% | ORB% | FT Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne | 46.8% | 9.2% | 36.2% | 29.1% |
| Cairns | 72.1% | 20.0% | 12.0% | 51.9% |
eFG% (Effective Field Goal %): Adjusts FG% for 3-pointers being worth more
TOV% (Turnover Rate): Turnovers per 100 possessions (lower is better)
ORB% (Offensive Rebound Rate): % of available offensive rebounds grabbed
FT Rate: Free throw attempts relative to field goal attempts