The Illawarra Hawks return to Wollongong for two NBL pre-season games with confidence after a third-quarter blitz set up victory over defending champions Melbourne United on Saturday night.
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The Hawks won 97-90, with recruit Antonius Cleveland guiding the way with 21 points, shooting nine from 14, as well as four rebounds and three steals.
United had 61-52 at half-time, but the Hawks stepped it up a notch in the third, dominating the quarter 23-10.
There was plenty to like for Brian Goorjian, with Boomers' Olympics bronze medallist Duop Reath rattling off 18 points and six rebounds, while Xavier Rathan-Mayes had 14 points and Sam Froling, Justinian Jessup and Tyler Harvey all showed flashes of brilliance.
The victory comes after an overtime success against South East Melbourne to kick-start the campaign.
They will meet the New Zealand Breakers at WIN Entertainment Centre on Thursday night, before a showdown with the Sydney Kings in the final NBL Blitz round on Saturday.
The season starts in Adelaide on December 5.
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