They faded in the fourth quarter, but the Hawks have kept their NBL playoffs dream alive after claiming an 81-73 victory over the 36ers in Adelaide on Friday night.
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Illawarra had led by 21 points at three-quarter time, before the 36ers came surging home to give the visitors a fright. In the end, two late clutch Tyler Harvey three-pointers proved crucial for the Hawks.
The result means that Brian Goorjian's men strengthen their hold of fourth spot on the ladder.
Victory was set up by a superb performance from Sam Froling, who finished with 19 points and seven rebounds, while South Australian native Isaac White shone, chipping in with 16 points. Teammates Harvey (18), Justin Simon (10) and Deng Deng (10) also registered double-figure scores as the Hawks shot 32 from 71 from the field.
For Adelaide, Daniel Dillon led the way with 13 points and eight boards, while Daniel Johnson scored 13 points. The 36ers finished going 45 per cent from the field.
Afterwards, Goorjian admitted he was "concerned" when the home side fought back in the fourth quarter.
" I was always thinking that they were going to make a run. I know they had a couple missing, but so did we. And they've played all year with guys in and out, and they're dangerous. When they get going and get that crowd behind them, the lead can go quick. You're always aware of it, you're always vulnerable to it," the Hawks coach said.
"They cut the lead to 13 leading into the fourth quarter, and we ran middle pick and roll with Emmett Naar and he got the ball to Isaac, and opened that thing to 21. And I think that gave us the buffer in the fourth quarter when they made that run. The deficit was pretty big.
"But with Emmett, Isaac White and Froling, these are young guys. And we've got (Dan) Grida too. They were on a five-win team last year and they didn't play much. The main guys are gone and these young guys, I was really excited about tonight. This thing is getting long, it's getting harsh, we need the bench. As angry as I was after the Melbourne game, I'm happy tonight."
Froling started Friday night's game with four unanswered points, before the 36ers went on a 14-2 run to take a solid lead when Goorjian called a timeout.
The coach stared at his players before barking his instructions, and they responded. Harvey drained one from long range and Deng's basket cut the margin to three points. White's three-pointer then saw Illawarra draw level at 14-14.
The Hawks continued to press hard through Harvey, Deng and Froling, with their run expanding to 16-0. White's buzzer-beater gave the visitors a 24-14 lead at the first break.
Adelaide's Tony Crocker got the scoring going in the second stanza, but another White three-pointer and a Justin Simon jump shot gave Illawarra 29-16 advantage.
Daniel Dillon lifted for the 36ers, scoring five of the next seven points, before Harvey drilled one from long range. The game continued to ebb and flow, with the Hawks taking a 38-25 lead midway through the quarter.
Illawarra continued to dominate, going on a 10-3 run to take a 20-point advantage. Froling's late emphatic dunk gave the Hawks a 50-28 lead at half time.
Froling led all-comers with 12 points and six rebounds, while Deng scored 10 points and, Simon, Harvey and White had eight points apiece. For the 36ers, Daniel Johnson top-scored with nine points and Pinder had five points and five boards.
Big men Froling and AJ Ogilvy got the Hawks' offense going in the third, before Brandon Paul's basket finally broke the Illawarra run.
The hosts continued to lift, scoring 12 of the next 17 points, to cut the deficit to 59-42. Jack McVeigh's two free throws cut the deficit to 15 points with two-and-a-half minutes left.
But it was White who lifted for the Hawks, draining back-to-back buckets from long range, before Froling's lay up gave the Hawks a 67-44 advantage.
McVeigh responded with a late basket to peg the deficit back to 67-46 at the final break.
The 36ers came firing out of the blocks in the fourth quarter, going on a 9-2 run, before White's basket settled the Hawks. McVeigh then drained one from long range, however, Harvey mustered two free throws to give Illawarra a 73-58 lead.
While Johnson hit another three-pointer, the Hawks continued to be cold at the other end of the floor. McVeigh's lay up then cut the deficit to 73-62.
A Dillon three-pointer then brought the game back to single digits, before Harvey responded from long range to give Illawarra 76-65 advantage. The 36ers then scored four of the next six points to cut the margin to 78-69.
Step up Harvey, who - like he has done on several occasions in 2021 - drained a clutch basket from long range for the Hawks.
The 36ers continued to fight, scoring the game's final four points, but Illawarra held on for an 81-73 victory.
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Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
