S.E Melbourne 89 - 98 Tasmania

The Tasmania JackJumpers secured a 98-89 road victory over South East Melbourne Phoenix, establishing control early behind an efficient offensive display. Tasmania built a 57-39 advantage by halftime, capitalizing on high-percentage looks inside and steady trips to the free-throw line. South East Melbourne mounted a sustained second-half comeback, trimming the deficit to three points at 85-82 with just over three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. However, the JackJumpers responded with timely baskets from Taran Armstrong and Nick Marshall, followed by reliable free-throw shooting from Dakota Mathias to close out the contest.

Mathias led Tasmania with a complete performance, recording 22 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals while shooting 6-of-10 from the field and 7-of-7 from the foul line, significantly outperforming his pre-game season averages of 14.6 points and 1.9 assists. Armstrong provided 18 points, while Marshall tallied 17 points, seven rebounds, and three steals. Will Magnay anchored Tasmania's interior on both ends, contributing 15 points, six rebounds, four assists, and four blocks. For South East Melbourne, D'Shawn Schwartz paced all scorers with 27 points and five rebounds on 10-of-16 shooting with zero turnovers, well above his 11.0 points per game season average entering the matchup.

Tasmania's offensive efficiency and free-throw generation proved to be the decisive factors. The JackJumpers shot 55.4% from the field (36-of-65) compared to the Phoenix's 47.3% (35-of-74), and generated nearly twice as many free-throw attempts, converting 21-of-30 (70.0%) to Melbourne's 12-of-16 (75.0%). Perimeter shooting also favored Tasmania, who went 5-of-12 (41.7%) from beyond the arc while South East Melbourne struggled at 7-of-29 (24.1%). The JackJumpers also moved the ball more effectively, finishing with 21 assists to South East Melbourne's 14.

Key Stats

• Dakota Mathias (Tasmania): 22 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST, 2 STL | 6/10 FG, 3/5 3PT, 7/7 FT | game-high 31 EFF
• D'Shawn Schwartz (S.E Melbourne): 27 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST | 10/16 FG, 3/7 3PT, 4/4 FT, 0 TO | 28 EFF
• Will Magnay (Tasmania): 15 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 4 BLK | 5/8 FG, 5/8 FT | 22 EFF
• Free-throw volume: Tasmania made 21-of-30 (70.0%, 46.2% FT rate) vs S.E Melbourne's 12-of-16 (75.0%, 21.6% FT rate)
• Three-point shooting: Tasmania shot 41.7% (5/12 3PT) vs S.E Melbourne's 24.1% (7/29 3PT)