BASKETBALL
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Defensive general Larry Davidson is imploring his Wollongong teammates to channel their anger in the right direction in tonight's duel with Melbourne Tigers at WIN Entertainment Centre.
The Hawks (4-8) were on the verge of their fourth win in five games when they held a four-point lead over the Tigers with three minutes to go in last Saturday's meeting in Melbourne.
Then when Tigers dynamo Chris Goulding took over he nailed clutch three-pointers and sparked his side to a 74-67 triumph.
The Hawks were deeply disappointed afterwards, convinced they had let victory slip from their grasp.
Tonight they have an opportunity to redeem themselves in the rematch with the Tigers.
"Any time a game is that close and it comes down to a few shots, you always look at it and think 'what if', but the good thing is we've got another crack at them," Davidson said.
"After that game, you're sitting there and thinking how close you were to getting it, and you have to use that for the next game. You think about how you can box out harder, talk more on defence, run the court more.
"If we do have any anger, we've got a chance to do something about it tomorrow.
"Anyone can be angry and disappointed after a game, but if you don't use it the right way and don't do anything about it, then it's pointless. We have to make sure we use that in a positive way in the next game."
The Hawks started poorly on Saturday; they were six behind at quarter-time and down by seven at the main break before they outscored their hosts 29-18 in the third period.
Wollongong maintained their buffer through most of the fourth quarter, only to allow Goulding to rise to the occasion in crunch time.
"We did a lot of the stuff we wanted to do defensively, but Goulding hit a lot of big shots, and as a team we have to do a better job of making sure one guy doesn't get off," Davidson said.
"We have to do a better job as a team defending them. It's never been our style to put it on one or two guys to stop their scorers.
"As a team we have to help each other out and make everything tough for them.
"We were stagnant to start and that's how we finished the game. Our middle of our game was good and we need to find that offensive flow we had in that third quarter.
"We need that better mix of inside-outside and using the ball and making them work on defence more."
Davidson had four points and six rebounds in Saturday's loss.
The Hawks will look to the 210-centimetre tall centre to nullify Tigers import Scott Morrison.