Wollongong Hawks produced a stirring fourth-quarter revival to beat the New Zealand Breakers in a thriller last night at WIN Entertainment Centre.
Wollongong were down by 10 just before the end of the third period before Glen Saville (17 points, five rebounds, five assists, two blocks, two steals) caught fire and sparked his side to their 11th victory of the season.
After scoring just two points in the first half, Saville racked up 15 in the second half while his long-time partner-in-crime Mat Campbell finished with 15.
Full coverage of the Wollongong Hawks Newly promoted starter Rhys Martin (18 points, 8/8 free throws) was outstanding, particularly in crunch time, while Larry Davidson (eight points, eight rebounds) also shone.
"That was a fantastic team performance," Hawks coach Gordie McLeod said. "We played with poise and showed a lot of heart and character to come back and win against a quality team."
The lead changed hands several times in a nail-biting fourth quarter, but the Hawks held their nerve, hitting all the big shots and coming up with key stops at the defensive end.
Wollongong (11-9) remained in the NBL top four with eight games to play and will feel good about their chances in tomorrow night's road clash with Melbourne.
The courageous triumph came just hours after the Hawks learned they would be without backcourt general Tywain McKee for the rest of the season. McKee has been diagnosed with stress fractures in his lower back and needs 2-3 months' rest and rehabilitation.
Debuting in Wollongong colours last night was McKee's replacement Luke Martin, an experienced playmaker who trialled with the Hawks in the off-season and will remain with the club for the rest of the season.
CJ Bruton (24 points, three steals) did his best to carry the Breakers, while the league's leading scorer Kirk Penney was held to 14 on 4/15 shooting and missed crucial foul shots down the stretch.
The Hawks got away to a perfect start, with Davidson hitting a couple of early baskets and Cam Tragardh making a jump-shot for a 6-0 lead. But Davidson picked up a quick foul and had to take a seat on the bench when he was whistled for his second five minutes into the opening quarter.
The Breakers steadied themselves and took a 15-14 lead before the Hawks responded with baskets by Tim Coenraad and a three-pointer by Rhys Martin to forge ahead 21-15.
Luke Martin made his first appearance late in the quarter, giving his namesake a well-earned breather.
Coenraad scored on a strong drive in the paint and back-up centre Tim Behrendorff knocked down a pair of free throws to help Wollongong take a 25-17 lead into the second period.
The visitors trimmed the margin to three points, only to strike trouble when interior enforcer Rick Rickert was pinged for his third foul.
Wollongong increased the lead to seven, but New Zealand fought back again, punctuating their surge with athletic forward Tommy Abercrombie's electrifying alley-oop dunk. The teams couldn't be separated at half-time, heading to their locker rooms locked at 39-all.
Penney was up to a game-high 10 points, while Rhys Martin and Campbell had seven apiece for the home side. Abercrombie's three-pointer and running jump-shot from the baseline gave the Breakers a brief five-point lead.
But Abercrombie was being helped from the court moments later after falling hard and suffering a suspected a broken ankle.
Despite the injury setback, the Breakers maintained momentum, with CJ Bruton scoring nine points in the quarter.
The margin was 10 before Saville's buzzer-beating three left Wollongong down 62-55 after three periods.
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