The Adelaide 36ers have produced the biggest boilover of the NBL season after import Dusty Hannah's late-game heroics steered them to an 88-83 overtime victory over Melbourne United.
Hannahs, who had endured an indifferent first three quarters, hit a huge three-pointer with 13.5 seconds left in regulation to tie the scores at 74-74, forcing the extension at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
Hannahs (19 points in 19 minutes) then rifled eight of the Sixers' 14 overtime points to terminate ladder-leading Melbourne's eight-game winning streak and snap Adelaide's three-match losing skid.
"I've watched Dusty put that ball in the basket at different times," 36ers coach CJ Bruton said.
"When I called his number at the last timeout he was good to go.
"We put the ball in his hands and we all got to see what he's capable of."
Fellow import Todd Withers (17 points) paced Adelaide early, while Cam Bairstow (16 points,12 rebounds) was resolute in the paint again.
Big men Jo Lual-Acuil (23 points, 12 boards) and Jack White (18, 11) led the charge for United, whose marquee starting guards Chris Goulding (0-of-14) and Matthew Dellavedova (1-of-10) shot a dismal combined 1-of-24 from the floor.
The Sixers trailed 19-17 at quarter-time before turning up the heat defensively in the second, outscoring the reigning champions 21-11 to lead by eight points at halftime.
Kai Sotto's reverse alley-oop dunk, Brad Newley's upgraded unsportsmanlike foul on Hannahs with seven seconds remaining and Mitch McCarron's block on Goulding on the buzzer highlighted a gripping third term, at the end of which Adelaide led 59-51.
Lual-Acuil got to work in the fourth before McCarron's triple pushed the 36ers' lead to 70-64.
As they did against the Tasmania JackJumpers on Friday, the Sixers wobbled down the stretch and they suddenly trailed by four points as Shae Ili's trey capped a 10-0 Melbourne run.
A crucial out-of-bounds call in a loose ball scrap between Sunday Dech and White went Adelaide's way with 19 seconds left and Dellavedova's missed drive with four seconds on the clock sandwiched Hannahs' bomb, giving the 36ers all the momentum going into overtime.
United's last home game was on December 19 and coach Dean Vickerman said the travelling was starting to take its toll.
"We've been on a long road stretch," he said.
"There was some tired decision-making that we made in the first half and their execution was much better than us down the stretch."
