Hometown hero: Taran's pretty fadeaway wins ugly NBL grind

• All 165 games of the NBL27 season in one list
• Every NBL27 roster, squad list and projected depth chart
• Every injured NBL player, with expected return dates
• Hammer Time: Who is leading the league in dunks

Hometown hero Taran Armstrong ($304,700)’s clutch jumper has saved the Tasmania JackJumpers, blowing a seemingly unbeatable lead to Melbourne United and escaping with an 84-82 win at MyState Bank Arena.

Armstrong, 24, hit the jumper to take his tally to 12 points with less than 10 seconds left to give his side a two-point lead before United failed to answer as Scott Roth's undermanned side recorded their second win of the season in a game where six players fouled out.

United's Malith Machar ($69,000) missed a three in front of the JackJumpers bench on the buzzer to win it.

The loss puts a star-studded United team, which trailed by as much as 19 points, at 1-2 after three games and needing to find some form, with former NBA guard Cole Anthony ($300,000) scoring just 11 points and going 3-for-14 from the field and 1-for-6 from the three-point line.

United coach Jacob Chance said the game, in which the teams took 72 free throws between them, was a "learning period for everyone".

The first – gruelling – 18-foul quarter took 27 minutes to play and asked if there was anything in particular he wanted to talk to the league about, Chance answered: "No, not really".

"I wouldn't change anything about how we played defensively.

"I've got to work through some things with the league and the referees and just adjust a bit better.

"But yeah, I loved it. And to shoot 41 foul shots down here, go 5-for-20 from three, a lot of things didn't drop, but that happens on a night-to-night basis. But you can't come down here and play soft.

"I didn't think we did that and gave us a chance to win."

The contest was also Chance's first against Roth, who he spent several seasons with in Tasmania, as a head coach.

"Every time I get to go out here with these guys and try and get a win, I'm loving it," he said.

"I don't care where we are. It's more to be here on a night where (Fabijan Krslovic) gets to be a captain for the first time and to see some familiar faces in the crowd and to play the way that we did, even though we didn't get the result, that's the most pleasing thing for me," he said.

"I think Joe asked me before the game if I've had time to reflect on different things.

"You always try to, and I probably need to do a better job of it, but right now I'm just worried about recovering, getting out of here and trying to get a good win on Saturday night."

It was a battle between two injury-riddled teams, with Tasmania forced to sign replacement players, guard Biwali Bayles ($78,000) and Kody Stattmann ($116,800). Both hit the floor against United, while Melbourne were without star guards Shea Ili ($175,300) and Chris Goulding ($188,900).

Injured

Tasmania:

• Bryce Hamilton (ACL, return TBC)
• Majok Deng (lower leg, Round 8-10)
• Anthony Drmic (back, TBC)
• Ben Ayre (hip flexor, test)

Melbourne United:‍

• Shea Ili (hamstring, TBC)
• Sean Macdonald (ACL, out for the season)
• Chris Goulding (Calf)

"One of the things I told the guys is that in about five or six days, no one’s going to remember that game anyway, other than we got a W," JackJumpers head coach Scott Roth.

"There’s a lot to take out of that game to learn, individually and in our composure, playing with better poise and so on and so forth.

"The game obviously got quite muddy. A win’s a win, and you can analyse it any way you want to, but we’ll take any W we possibly can, especially this early in the season.

"I thought he [Will Magnay] was outstanding. Ben Gold came off the bench and hit some shots for us, too. We had enough guys chip in there to get it across the line, but it was a very muddy game."

With both teams and coaches playing line-ups rarely seen together, probably even at team practice, offensive execution was scarce, and frustration quickly grew as each team turned their attention to the dubious officiating. The refs also responded, dishing out several technical fouls early in the contest, including one for taunting on Josh Bannan ($317,500) and another for Chance.

Tasmania capitalised on United's early struggles, with big man Will Magnay ($269,300) posting 17 points and 11 rebounds, sharpshooter Dakota Mathias ($145,200) 13 points and import wing David Johnson ($232,900) 16 points as the home side's lead grew to 17 at half-time.

Only 11-year NBA veteran Joe Ingles ($300,000), who finished with 18 points, and big man Josh Oduro ($277,000), who had 22 points and eight rebounds, found any rhythm on the offensive end in the first half for United, who rediscovered their trademark defensive identity in the third quarter, winning the period 19-16 to close the margin to 14 points heading into the final quarter.

Despite the visitors' improved performance, the JackJumpers still looked in control. Still, the ugly stop-start nature, driven by the number of fouls called and continued frustration with officials, kept Melbourne in it.

In the fourth quarter, everything changed. Melbourne clicked into gear offensively all of a sudden while the JackJumpers offence came to a halt.

Oduro continued to provide a major challenge for Tasmania, but United's defence allowed Sam Waardenburg ($277,500) and Luke Travers ($292,900) to get out in the open floor and score in transition.

Travers' three-pointer, followed by consecutive and-one three-point plays, put United ahead, reducing the usually rampant JackJumpers fans at MyState Bank Arena to silence. But Tasmania fought back, and a pair of clutch free-throws from 100-gamer Magnay put the JackJumpers up by three with less than a minute remaining.

That was when disaster struck for Tasmania. Much to the dismay of NBL commentator Damon Lowery, they didn't foul up three, and Ingles found Waardenburg for an open triple to level it.

However, the occasion seemed set up for Armstrong to make his mark in his second game back in Tasmania, as he dazzled United youngster Austin Shelley ($58,500) to hit a game-winning fadeaway and earn an impressive victory for the JackJumpers, who were without Bryce Hamilton ($293,100), Majok Deng ($214,500), Ben Ayre ($117,700), Anthony Drmic ($97,800) and more.

Roth's team now sit at 2-1 and travel to take on the Brisbane Bullets at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Saturday.

United are expecting Ili to return when they host the struggling Cairns Taipans on Sunday.

What you need to know

• Tasmania JackJumpers beat Melbourne United 84-82 at MyState Bank Arena in NBL27 Round 3.
• Tasmania won the first two quarters, 23-14 and 29-21, and led by as many as 19, but United won the third 19-16 and the fourth 28-16 and went ahead 79-78 late.
• Will Magnay ($269,300) led Tasmania with 17 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, going 12-from-14 at the line, and Josh Oduro ($277,000) top-scored for United with 22 on 8-from-11.
• The game was won on the glass. Tasmania out-rebounded United 54-36, including 18 offensive rebounds to six, and took 71 shots to United's 61 while shooting 35 percent.
• United went to the free-throw line 41 times and made 25, leaving 16 points at the stripe in a two-point loss. Tasmania made 24 of 31.

Tasmania JackJumpers

• Will Magnay ($269,300) had 17 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, going 12-from-14 at the line.
• David Johnson ($232,900) scored 16 off the bench in 14 minutes on 6-from-11 and was plus-15.
• Dakota Mathias ($145,200) added 13 points and nine rebounds on 4-from-15, including 3-from-8 from three.
• Taran Armstrong ($304,700) hit the winning jumper and finished with 12 points and six assists on 4-from-14.
• Ben Gold ($69,000) had nine points and eight rebounds in 15 minutes on 3-from-5.
• Nick Marshall ($203,400) scored eight points with six rebounds, going 2-from-6 from three.
• Josh Bannan ($317,500) had six points, four rebounds and two steals on 2-from-9 and was plus-16 in 17 minutes.
• Tasmania shot 25-from-71 from the field, 10-from-30 from three and 24-from-31 at the line, with 54 rebounds, 16 assists and 16 turnovers.

Melbourne United

• Josh Oduro ($277,000) top-scored with 22 points and eight rebounds on 8-from-11, including 6-from-9 at the line.
• Joe Ingles ($300,000) scored 18 off the bench with five assists on 5-from-9, 2-from-6 from three and 6-from-7 at the line.
• Sam Waardenburg ($277,500) had 12 points and eight rebounds, hitting his only three and going 5-from-10 at the line.
• Cole Anthony ($300,000) scored 11 on 3-from-14, including 1-from-6 from three, with five rebounds and two steals.
• Luke Travers ($292,900) had 11 points, six assists and five rebounds on 4-from-10.
• Malith Machar ($69,000) scored four points on 2-from-5 in 17 minutes.
• Tom Wilson ($69,000) had three points, two rebounds, an assist and a steal in 15 minutes.
• United shot 26-from-61 from the field, 5-from-20 from three and 25-from-41 at the line, with 36 rebounds, 15 assists and 11 turnovers.