Tasmania JackJumpers stun Phoenix in NBL thriller
The Tasmania JackJumpers opened their NBL27 campaign with a win, a controversy and a reminder that MyState Bank Arena is still one of the most hostile places in the league.
Down 14 at halftime. Short-handed. Then thrown into the middle of a rule-book storm in the final 30 seconds.
They walked out 96-91 winners over South East Melbourne Phoenix. But nobody left the building talking calmly.
A game that flipped — then exploded
For a half, the Phoenix owned the island.
They led 52-38 at the main break, slicing Tasmania apart with pace and perimeter shooting. Angus Glover came off the bench and lit it up, piling on 21 points for the night and setting the tone early. Skylar Mays controlled tempo, finished with 18 points, six rebounds and two assists, and looked every bit the import leader South East Melbourne need him to be.
Then the game turned.
Scott Roth’s undermanned JackJumpers — missing Josh Bannan, Ben Ayre, Anthony Drmic and Bryce Hamilton — did what Roth teams do. They tightened the screws. They made every catch a chore, every drive a collision, every possession a test of nerve.
Tasmania outscored the Phoenix 58-39 in the second half. The crowd roared, the pressure rose, and slowly the Phoenix’s 14-point cushion disappeared.
David Johnson took over. The import guard was sensational, pouring in 26 points to go with six rebounds and six assists, shooting 10-of-15 from the field. He attacked gaps, hit tough shots and repeatedly bailed out stagnant possessions.
On debut, Taran Armstrong looked like he’d been running this team for years. He added 19 points, picking his moments, probing, finishing. Will Magnay, still on restricted minutes, gave the JackJumpers 14 points, four rebounds and six assists, anchoring both ends when it mattered.
By the time the clock ticked under a minute, Tasmania had surged in front. But the drama was only just getting started.
The steal, the foul… and the rule that stunned the arena
With 32 seconds remaining, the JackJumpers led 91-89. Phoenix import D’Shawn Schwartz hounded Nick Marshall up the floor and produced the play his team needed — a clean steal under heavy pressure.
Marshall then fouled him. On review, officials upgraded it to a disruptive foul under the new FIBA interpretations, handing South East Melbourne a golden lifeline: two free throws for Schwartz, with a chance to tie the game.
What followed left the NBL world arguing over the letter of the law.
Instead of Schwartz stepping to the stripe, Skylar Mays walked to the line. He took the ball, set himself, and shot — apparently unaware that under FIBA rules, the player who was actually fouled must take the free throws.
It wasn’t the referees who spotted the problem first.
From the JackJumpers bench, Scott Roth and forward Josh Bannan immediately signalled that Mays should not have been at the line. Their protest forced the officials to pause, confer and dive back into the rule book.
Under FIBA rule 45.4.3, if the wrong player attempts a free throw, that free throw is cancelled and possession is awarded to the opposition for a throw-in from the free-throw line extended. Because Mays went to the line on his own — not on instruction from the referees — the officials had no power to simply correct the shooter and replay the shots.
Once he attempted the free throw, the penalty kicked in.
The result: the potential game-tying free throws were wiped. Phoenix lost the ball. Tasmania were handed possession.
A two-shot chance to level the game turned into a turnover by technicality, and MyState Bank Arena buzzed with confusion and disbelief. There was no review mechanism available in the final two minutes to overturn the ruling. The decision stood.
“Very confusing”: King left searching for answers
Phoenix head coach Josh King fronted the aftermath and admitted he was as baffled as anyone.
“Very confusing. I’ve never seen... I have to get some clarity behind it,” he said post-game, still trying to piece together the sequence.
“I think the way I understood it, they said it was our ball. It was two shots and the ball I think?
“I think what Skylar thought is anybody could shoot because it was a unsportsmanlike foul and we got the ball back. But then when Skyler went to the line, it wiped out everything.”
The call will be debated for days, but King refused to pin the loss on that moment.
“At the end of the day, that has nothing to do with the final result. You don’t want to put your team in this situation where we have to rely on a play like that. So that’s not what decided the game at all.”
Roth declined to comment on the controversy, leaving the rule book to speak for itself and the scoreboard to do the talking.
Tasmania’s statement win, Phoenix’s lingering regret
Strip away the chaos of the final minute and a simple truth remains: Tasmania produced a gutsy, character win to start their season.
Short-handed, down big, they leaned on defence and resolve. Johnson’s 26, Armstrong’s poise, Magnay’s all-round impact — it all added up to a comeback that felt very on-brand for Roth’s group.
For the Phoenix, the regret will run deeper than one confusing rule. They had a 14-point halftime lead, control of the game, and the chance to land a statement road win to open their campaign. Instead, they were ground down and outscored heavily after the break, their offence stalling just as Tasmania found another gear.
Glover’s first-half fireworks and Mays’ all-round contribution showed promise, but the collapse and the late-game miscue will sting.
There’s no time to dwell.
Tasmania now board a flight north, heading to face the Cairns Taipans on Wednesday with momentum and belief already banked. South East Melbourne return home to Melbourne, where a Thursday night clash with cross-town rivals Melbourne United at John Cain Arena suddenly carries a sharper edge.
Round one, and the JackJumpers have already turned the league on its head. How quickly can the Phoenix steady theirs?
