Almost everything Tim Coenraad touched turned to gold in the first half of last Friday's meeting with Adelaide.
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But the Hawks forward was hamstrung by foul trouble in the second half and added just three points to the 17 he scored in the first half, as the Adelaide 36ers secured an 89-85 victory.
After being whistled for one foul in the opening two quarters, Coenraad picked up two in the third period and two quick ones in the final quarter.
He hotly disputed his fifth foul and was warned by referee Michael Aylen to calm down when he continued to plead his case from the bench.
"We fought back and made a game of it and it would've been nice if we could've had Timmy on the court for more than 20 minutes, but that's just the way it happens," Wollongong coach Gordie McLeod said.
"You just have to adjust to those situations. It can be quite frustrating but it's just the way it is."
Coenraad had his eye in against the Sixers and was deeply disappointed he was unable to play a role in crunch time.
"I was feeling real good," he said.
"The shot felt really nice and I was just trying to get every opportunity to get open again. I just wanted the ball after hitting those first few."
Adelaide's win was their fourth straight and came after the previous week's 83-78 home win over the Hawks.
"That game played out exactly like we thought it would," Sixers coach Joey Wright said.
"We thought it would come down close to the end and be a hard-fought game, and that it would come down to big shots.
"We made some big shots and they missed some, and that was pretty much the difference.
"Their personnel matches up with our personnel and it seems to be a close game every time we play them, so I just expected the same thing."
Known more for their running game, Adelaide showed off their improving half-court offence against the Hawks.
"The sign of a good team is when you can do both," Wright said.
"We ran when we had to run and then we slowed it up when we needed to slow it up.
"We executed and got to the line and knocked shots down," he said.