Old-timers Mat Campbell and Glen Saville wound back the clock with vintage performances in tonight’s 90-68 demolition of the Melbourne Tigers at WIN Entertainment Centre.
Long-time captain Campbell had his best game of the season with 17 points (4/7 three-pointers), while Saville was equally electric with 13 points (3/4 threes) and nine rebounds.
Also starring was new Hawks import Ayinde Ubaka, who torched his former side with 15 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals in 22 minutes off the bench.
Joevan Catron had 12 points and five rebounds, Oscar Forman added 10 points, while Rhys Martin finished with seven points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Full coverage of the Hawks Rarely used back-up guard Zac Delaney brought the crowd to its feet when he nailed a three-pointer on the buzzer to punctuate the confidence-restoring triumph.
The win broke a seven-match losing run at home.
‘‘The fans have been coming out and supporting us and it’s great to get a win for them. They’re the heart and soul of our club,’’ Campbell said.
Three seconds was all it took for Campbell to set the stage, as his lay-up and free throw straight after the opening tip got the Hawks off and running.
Showing there is still life in his 35-year-old legs, Campbell splashed back-to-back threes and the lead swelled to 9-2.
Saville came to the party, flying in for rebounds and gliding past defenders to keep Wollongong in control.
Ubaka made his official Hawks debut four minutes into the game and had racked up six points and two assists by the end of the first quarter.
Tim Coenraad was finding team-mates with sharp passes, while Tyson Demos came out firing and Catron chipped in four points and two rebounds.
Tigers coach Trevor Gleeson’s frustration boiled over during a time-out and he was slapped with a technical foul by veteran referee Roger Shiels.
When the opening period ended, the Hawks’ lead was 31-16, which included a sizzling 62per cent shooting clip.
Campbell had nine points and Saville was up to seven.
It was more of the same in the second quarter, with Campbell boosting his tally to 14.
Forman hit a three and followed with a dunk and Wollongong’s lead ballooned to 20.
American guard Myron Allen and Liam Rush were the only Tigers showing any bite, combining for 24 of Melbourne’s 36 points in the first half.
But after the lead briefly dropped to 13, the Hawks finished with a flurry of points to be up by 20 at half-time.
Wollongong led the rebound count 20-12 and made 64per cent of their shots for the half compared to 39per cent for their opponents.
A few groans were heard in the crowd when the visitors peeled off a 6-0 run to start the second half.
But the Hawks broke a three-minute scoring drought with Larry Davidson’s three and held a 61-44 lead with just under five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
The fast-paced scoring of the first half slowed to a crawl for both teams before Catron bounced off the bench with another productive and highly entertaining cameo.
The American forward’s coast-to-coast solo effort pushed the margin to 21 and fans were high-fiving, relieved they had survived their usual third-quarter paralysis.
Ubaka had upped his total to 12 points and Wollongong’s lead was 69-52 after three periods.
The Hawks (5-13) are on the road against the Gold Coast Blaze next weekend.
Meanwhile, the New Zealand Breakers produced a fourth win in a row tonight, humbling the Sydney Kings 93-64 in Auckland to move to outright first in the NBL.
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