'Shout-out to mum': Lewis' text message ignites 'Star'

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NBL Next Star Malique Lewis' mum asked and her son delivered against the Tasmania JackJumpers as the Phoenix forward dropped 23 points on 9-from-11 from the field (5-from-7 threes) in a tough 103-102 road win in Launceston in Round 8 of NBL26 on Thursday, November 6, 2025.

"I got a text from my mother in the States before the game," Lewis revealed.

"She asked, 'Is Glover playing?' I said, 'Nah, he’s out a couple weeks'. She wrote back, 'We need Lewis to hit some threes tonight'. I’ll show it to you. Maybe that’s what it is — shout-out to my mum."

The 20-year-old more than filled in for the injured Glover and help the Phoenix to a 7-2 record and second on the ladder after JackJumpers guard Ben Ayre's corner three rimmed out with just seconds left in the ball game.

"Any time you’re making shots and it’s going your way, it feels good," Lewis added.

"Shout-out to everyone — they saw it was my day, I had it going, and they were looking for me.

"That made my job easier — I just had to make the shot.

"Everyone knows I can shoot — that’s why I get those shots. I won’t say “pinch-me”; today they fell.

"In other games, if they’d fallen at the same rate, I’d probably end up with the same points."

Phoenix head coach Josh King said: "He (Lewis) was huge for us.

"We have one of our better shooters out — (Angus) Glover — and needed a guy to step up.

"'Lique's been doing a lot of really good things. I think last week something came out where he was leading the league in plus-minus.

"He’s not so much focused on shots, but tonight that was a huge boost for us — we needed somebody to step up offensively and Malique did that.

"I don’t know how many he hit in the first half, but he had a big bucket late as well. Really nice to see Malique shoot the ball really well."

Nathan Sobey continued his All-NBL First Team start to NBL26. He had 28 points on 8-from-14 from the field, including 5-from-8 threes in 36 minutes. Sobey added four rebounds, six assists and three steals to a stuffed stat sheet.

JackJumpers import guard Bryce Hamilton would have easily been the headline if Tasmania was on the other side of the ledger. Hamilton shot an outstanding 16-from-23 from the field on his way to a game-high 36 points in 33 minutes. He also had eight rebounds, six assists and a steal.

Key Details

• Result: South East Melbourne Phoenix 103 def. Tasmania JackJumpers 102
• When: Thursday, 6th November 2025
• Where: Silverdome, Tasmania
• Standings

By the Numbers

• Bryce Hamilton (Tasmania JackJumpers) starred with 36 points, eight rebounds, five assists and one steal in 33 minutes.
• Nathan Sobey (South East Melbourne Phoenix) scored 28 points, and had three rebounds, four assists and three steals in 35 minutes.

What Happened

The contest featured a 21 lead changes as both teams traded baskets throughout the night. Tasmania started strong, but South East Melbourne managed to close the first quarter with a 32-29 advantage. The JackJumpers responded in the second period, outscoring the Phoenix 32-28 to take a 61-60 lead into halftime.

South East Melbourne reclaimed control in the third quarter, limiting Tasmania to just 20 points while adding 18 of their own to enter the final period tied at 81. The fourth quarter became a battle of wills, with the Phoenix ultimately prevailing 25-21 in the period to secure the one-point victory.

Bryce Hamilton delivered an outstanding performance for the JackJumpers, shooting a scorching 16-from-23 from the field including 4-from-7 from three-point range. His 36 points kept Tasmania in contention but it wasn't enough to overcome the balanced Phoenix attack.

For South East Melbourne, captain Nathan Sobey led the charge with 28 points on 8-from-14 shooting, including an efficient 5-from-8 from beyond the arc. NBL Next Star Malique Lewis added 23 points on an exceptional 9-from-11 shooting performance, including 5-from-7 from downtown.

The rebounding battle favoured Tasmania (43-36), with Josh Bannan collecting 10 boards to go with his 15 points. However, the Phoenix compensated with superior defensive pressure, recording 16 steals to the JackJumpers' nine. John Brown III was particularly active on the glass for South East Melbourne, grabbing 14 rebounds including eight offensive boards.

Despite shooting a higher percentage from the field (52.9% compared to 48.1%), Tasmania was undone by ball security issues, committing 22 turnovers to South East Melbourne's 19. The Phoenix capitalised on these opportunities, connecting on 14 three-pointers to Tasmania's nine, which proved to be the difference in the one-point contest.