For a brief moment it looked like the Hawks might really do it.
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The side was trailing by 19 at half-time, on track for a demoralising defeat in the opening game of their semi-finals series against the Sydney Kings.
But Brian Goorjian's team had other ideas. They would not roll over easily.
And so began one of the biggest comebacks in franchise history, the Wollongong faithful spurring their team on as they pulled within three with three minutes to play.
A sold out WEC threatened to explode, fans remaining on their feet and making a deafening roar with every made shot.
Could they actually do it? It looked like they could.
It was not to be, however, the Hawks running out of gas and Sydney stemming the tide and making a number of key defensive plays down the stretch to secure an 89-79 victory.
NBL MVP Jaylen Adams proved a difference maker for the Kings, scoring 30, while Ian Clark had 16 of his own.
Duop Reath led the way for Illawarra with 26 points, while Antonius Cleveland added 21.
Goorjian was clearly disappointed with his team's performance, lamenting a disastrous second quarter.
"I feel embarrassed," Goorjian said. "I'm sure the team does as well.
"We're in year two, we did this last year. We won in Perth, then came back here and laid an egg. We worked all year to get an opportunity like this, to get the town behind us. It's not losing the game, it's how we played.
"We didn't quit, that's nice. It's a series, but as far as the performance tonight and what we wanted to do, coming into the game and how we played, very, very, very disappointing."
The result means Illawarra are going to have to do it the hard way if they are to progress to the NBL grand final.
The side must win the final two games of the semi-final series, starting on Sunday afternoon at Qudos Bank Arena.
Should the Hawks level the scores in that contest, the teams will return to Wollongong for a decider on Tuesday night.
The second quarter proved disastrous for the Hawks, the visitors blowing their opponents off the court with a stunning 18-point run.
In six-minutes of madness, Illawarra missed 11-straight field goal attempts, while the Kings made shot after shot.
Xavier Rathan-Mayes eventually stemmed the tide in the final minute of the quarter, however it was a momentary halt to the onslaught, Angus Glover nailing a two to close out the half and secure a 52-33 lead for Sydney.
Adams led the charge, with 16 first-half points, with 10 for Clark.
The Kings blitz came as many of the Hawks starters sat on the bench, Goorjian frustrated with the effort put in by his second team.
"I just didn't think they gave us a lift in those areas of concern," he said. "Getting behind the ball, controlling the ball. The (Kings) got a lot of energy off the bench. Defensively, on the glass, they ran the floor, we didn't. We need that.
"It's not just them, but they can't go unscathed in this. They're an important piece. I elected not to go back there after the second quarter was 30-9.
"It's going to fall on that group of nine, not just the five or six going into game two.
"It was extremely disappointing, losing that second quarter 30-9. We entered those (bench) guys in the middle of the first, we had a pretty good lead early in the first, and it went away from us.
"We started moving bodies early in the second and they blew it out in the second. There's some problems there that need to be looked at."
Despite the deficit the home crowd did everything they could to rally their team, a sold out WEC remaining vocal throughout the second half.
The Hawks attempted to fight back in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 12 at one point.
Each time they fought back, however, the Kings responded, maintaining a 74-57 lead heading into the final period.
The momentum was all with the Hawks to start the fourth, six-straight points forcing Chase Buford to call a timeout.
Moments later and the lead was into single digits, Reath nailing a three to cut the gap to eight.
That set the stage for a frantic final four minutes, Illawarra pulling within three to send the WEC into raptures.
That was as close as they got, however, Sydney scoring 11 of the final 15 points to secure the victory.
The Hawks must immediately regroup, with their season on the line in Sydney on Sunday.
Master coach Brian Goorjian will have to weave all of his magic to turn things around in such a short space of time.
Such a situation isn't foreign to the Hawks, however, the side on the opposite end of the equation in last year's semi-finals.
After winning game one in Perth, Illawarra fell in the remaining two fixtures to see their season come to a disappointing end.
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