Desperate to save face after last Wednesday's horrific 34-point thrashing from the Dragons, the Hawks led by seven after one quarter and 48-45 at half-time.

But the home side tightened the screws in the third period to set up a 101-83 victory.

With 14 games remaining, Wollongong (6-10) are languishing in eighth spot and are away to the red-hot Townsville Crocodiles this weekend.

They also have away games against Gold Coast and Melbourne over the next couple of weeks.

Their season could be all but over when they finally return home to take on the rejuvenated Sydney Spirit on December 27.

"We've gotta make our run now, especially with other games not really going our way over the weekend," Hawks coach Eric Cooks said.

"Anybody in this league can get on a roll and beat anybody and I definitely take heart from that.

"Obviously we need to start winning, but there's still time to get on a roll and turn things around."

Wollongong came out firing in the re-match with the league-leading Dragons, drilling 8/9 three-pointers and willingly trading blows with their notoriously physical opponents.

They led by as many as nine in the second quarter and took an unlikely lead into the half-time break.

But turnovers and missed shots started piling up in the third period and the Dragons were up by five with a quarter to play.

The visitors started to tire in the face of the Dragons' unrelenting defensive pressure and lost the final period 30-17.

"We fell in a hole and couldn't maintain that level we were at in the first half," Cooks said.

"We were still in the game in the fourth quarter, but fatigue became a factor. We got a bit tired and they forced some crucial turnovers that led to uncontested lay-ups.

"The guys did an excellent job in the first half and did all the little things well.