American duo Tywain McKee and Dave Gruber carried the Wollongong Hawks to last night's thrilling come-from-behind road victory over the New Zealand Breakers.
After trailing for almost the entire game, the Hawks defiantly rallied in the final quarter to prevail 93-91, with unsung forward Gruber (16 points) integral in crunch time and the mercurial McKee (29 points, nine assists, five rebounds) sinking the match-sealing basket with 14 seconds remaining.
Centre Larry Davidson tallied 13 points and seven rebounds, captain Mat Campbell stood tall with 11 points and five rebounds, while bench back-ups Tim Coenraad (nine points, three assists) and Rhys Martin (seven points, five rebounds, three assists) were instrumental in the upset win.
Full coverage of the Wollongong Hawks Breakers guards CJ Bruton (22) and Kirk Penney (23) were typically productive, but Wollongong thoroughly deserved their triumph, out-playing the title favourites with a courageous second-half performance.
The Hawks chalked up their eighth win from 13 games and reclaimed the outright lead on the NBL ladder.
Wollongong have the weekend off before hosting second-placed Perth tomorrow week.
The Breakers settled into a rhythm quicker than the visitors, with Penney fuelling a 7-0 run to make it 15-7 midway through the first quarter.
Hawks coach Gordie McLeod turned to his bench and Martin and Coenraad came out aggressively, scoring seven points apiece in the period and helping Wollongong take a 23-20 lead.
Bruton's three-pointer in the dying seconds made it 23-23 at the end of the first period.
After breaking the deadlock with their first possession of the second quarter, the Hawks immediately fell in a hole, allowing Penney to cut loose and spark an 11-0 surge.
McKee made amends for back to back turnovers with a three-pointer and Saville nailed a jump-shot to trim New Zealand's lead to 34-30.
McKee was determined to make up for a few careless errors, scoring six straight points with some purposeful drives to the basket to leave the Hawks down 51-44 at the main break.
Campbell's lay-up less than two minutes into the third quarter cut the deficit to four points.
Wollongong fought back again with a 10-2 run and hit the front 68-67 on Coenraad's steal before Dillon Boucher dropped in a reverse lay-up on the three-quarter time buzzer to restore New Zealand's lead at 69-68.
Bruton came to life in the final quarter, draining a three-pointer and eight straight foul shots to give his side a seven-point lead.
But a resilient Hawks would not quit, with McKee and Gruber combining to level the score at 87-87. Penney hit two free throws to make it 91-89 and Saville hit a jump-shot in the paint to tie the game with 56 seconds left. The Hawks forced the Breakers into a rushed shot before McKee drove for the game-winning lay-up.
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