Wollongong coach Gordie McLeod likened the Hawks' 91-50 drubbing from Gold Coast to experiencing a natural disaster.
The Hawks went into the round-19 clash with high hopes after the previous week's comprehensive home win over Melbourne.
But they were blown away by a ruthless Blaze, crashing to their worst defeat in almost 23 years.
Wollongong's meagre total was the second-lowest in the club's 33-year history.
"That was like going through a tsunami," McLeod said.
Inspired by forward Mark Worthington, the Blaze raced to a 9-2 lead and were well in control after boosting the margin to nine at quarter-time.
The home team showed no signs of a let-up, surging to a 47-29 half-time lead before out-scoring their hapless opponents 44-21 over the final two quarters.
The Hawks failed to cope with Gold Coast's physicality and McLeod's frustration with the referees earned him a technical foul in the second period.
"They manhandled us," McLeod said.
"There was no way we were going to be able to run and execute the way they were defending. We were looking for referees to bail us out and that didn't happen. Any tech foul doesn't help, but there was frustration there."
Wollongong made just 30 per cent of their shots for the game and were out-rebounded 38-26.
Worthington took particular delight in humbling the Hawks with a game-high 25 points, while guards Adam Gibson, Adris DeLeon and Jason Cadee combined for 38.
Ayinde Ubaka (12) and Tim Coenraad (10) were the only players in double figures for the visitors.
Full coverage of the Hawks Worthington believes the Blaze have finally settled on an effective defensive system.
"It works. It's doing a lot more for us as a team than our other style was," he said.
"The last two weeks have just been a glimpse at what we can do but we still have our breakdowns and we're not happy about it.
"We've got the top two in our sights, they're [New Zealand and Perth] the benchmark."
The Hawks were briefly off the bottom of the ladder after Adelaide's loss to Melbourne on Friday night.
But they have rejoined the 36ers in last spot and are back on course to finish with the wooden spoon for just the second time in the club's existence.
Wollongong are back at WIN Entertainment Centre on Saturday night for a date with league leaders and reigning champions New Zealand.
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