THEY showed promising signs of life, but the Wollongong Hawks’ faint finals hopes all but slipped away with Friday night’s 71-55 loss to the New Zealand Breakers in Auckland.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Hawks chipped away at a 10-point half-time deficit and pulled level at 47-all with a quarter to play, only to capitulate in crunch time and fall to their ninth straight defeat.
After holding the home team to an all-time club-low of three points in the third period, Wollongong managed just eight points of their own in the final quarter.
Guard Cedric Jackson starred for the Breakers with 24 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals, while centre Ekene Ibekwe finished with 11 points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
Hawks coach Gordie McLeod made two changes to his starting five, swapping Luke Nevill and Gary Ervin for Larry Davidson and Rhys Martin.
Davidson was his team’s best player with 12 points and nine rebounds, while Martin had eight points.
Ervin made his first couple of shots but finished with 10 points on 4/13 shooting and four turnovers.
Jahii Carson was completely ineffective with just two points on 1/13 shooting and four turnovers. Oscar Forman also had an off night, missing all five of his three-point shots.
Martin opened his team’s scoring with a three-pointer and Davidson got on the scoresheet with an early lay-up.
The first five minutes featured a whopping eight lead changes before the Breakers forged ahead by four.
Wollongong’s interior defence looked suspect, as the Breakers energised the home crowd with two alley-oop dunks.
Hawks forward Brad Hill hit one of two free throws and scored on a lay-up as time expired to cut New Zealand’s lead to 22-20 at quarter-time.
The Breakers pushed the margin to eight before Davidson hit back to back threes to keep the Hawks close.
Davidson was working hard at both ends of the court, but Wollongong’s offence wasn’t the same without Martin on the floor.
Jackson took over the game for the final seven minutes of the second period, alternating between scoring and setting up teammates to give his side a 44-34 half-time lead.
Jackson had 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals in a dominant display, while Ibekwe added nine points and three rebounds off the bench.
Davidson was the standout for Wollongong with 10 points and seven rebounds.
The Hawks pulled down 23 rebounds to New Zealand’s 19, but they had seven turnovers compared to just one for the Breakers.
Carson struggled through a 1/8 shooting performance and was benched to start the third quarter.
Martin splashed a three to start the second half and Ervin drove in for a lay-up to make it a five-point game.
New Zealand were ice-cold, missing their first 11 shots of the half and allowing the visitors to cut the deficit to two.
More than five minutes ticked away before Jackson’s free throw broke the drought for the Breakers.
But nothing went right for New Zealand. The Hawks finally drew level at 47-all on Hill’s free throw and that’s how it stayed at three-quarter time.
The Breakers’ three points was their lowest tally for a quarter in club history and one of the worst by any team since the NBL’s 1979 inception.
Wollongong pulled ahead 49-48 on Hill’s lay-up, their first lead since the opening period.
But it was short-lived, as Jackson’s consecutive three-pointers sparked a run from which the Hawks never recovered.
Wollongong are on the road again next weekend, taking on Cairns on Saturday night and Townsville 24 hours later.