Chris Goulding and Matthew Dellavedova have caught fire late to guide Melbourne United to an upset 96-88 win over Illawarra in game one of the best-of-five NBL Grand Final series.
Goulding and Dellavedova were off the boil for most of Saturday night's match at the WIN Entertainment Centre, with the Hawks leading by 10 points at half-time.
But it was Melbourne who dominated the second half, with their final-quarter display particularly impressive.
Goulding and Dellavedova both nailed two long-range bombs apiece in the final term as the visitors outscored Illawarra 32-21 for the quarter.
Dellavedova finished with 18 points but on 6-of-17 shooting, while Goulding's 10 final-quarter points took him to 15 for the match.
Marcus Lee (14), Shea Ili (13) and Ian Clark (13) also chipped in.
For Illawarra, Sam Froling (16 points), Todd Blanchfield (13), Wana Swaka Lo Buluk (11) and Will Hickey (14) were the only ones to hit double figures, with the Hawks scoring just 35 points in the second half.
Trey Kell finished with just six points on 3-of-11 shooting in a poor display, while Tyler Harvey was held to nine points.
Game 2 will be held in Melbourne on Wednesday night, with United looking to take a 2-0 lead in the series.
Melbourne United had some early headaches on Saturday night.
Goulding picked up his second foul just three minutes into the game, and Dellavedova missed his first four shots.
United were able to erase an early six-point deficit, but a three-pointer on the buzzer from Blanchfield gave the Hawks a 29-26 lead at quarter-time.
Blanchfield went 8-of-12 from three-point land in Illawarra's game three semifinal win over South East Melbourne.
The 33-year-old's hot hand continued in the second quarter against Melbourne United, nailing another pair of three-pointers and a spin-away two-pointer as the lead ballooned to 11 points.
Illawarra went into half-time with a 53-43 advantage, despite star guard Kell being held to just two points.
For United, Goulding scored just two points in the first half, and Jack White had just four points to his name, including a missed dunk on the half-time siren.
Melbourne went on a 6-0 run to start the third quarter, with Illawarra's offence becoming disjointed as the visitors started feeling comfortable for the first time in the match.
Goulding's 10-point haul in the final quarter proved pivotal as Melbourne stormed to victory on enemy territory.