Game Recap: Hawks vs JackJumpers | RD4 NBL27

Daniel Grida and Kyle Adnam lead a fearless bench charge as we win the second half 65-55 and turn a 27-point hole into a nine-point game, setting it up for Sunday back at home against Cairns.

The scoreboard says Tasmania 122-112. The second half says something different.

Down 27 midway through the third quarter, we refused to fold. Sparked by Daniel Grida’s energy and Kyle Adnam’s fourth-quarter shotmaking, we won the second half 65-55, shot 23 of 33 from the field after the break, and dragged the gap all the way back to nine with the WIN Entertainment Centre on its feet. The JackJumpers held on, but nobody walked out of the building thinking this group is done.

Answering the ILLA-WARRA call

The second quarter was hard as Tasmania strung together a 21-2 run, and with the deficit at 21 a desperate “ILLA-WARRA” chant rolled around the arena.

Dan Grida answered it. First a tough take to the hoop that earned two free throws. Then a steal on Josh Bannan at half way, finished through traffic, that brought the crowd out of their seats. In the third, Makur Maker swatted a shot at one end and Grida finished the layup at the other.

Grida finished with 9 points on a perfect 3 of 3 from the field, and his +22 was the best on the floor for either side. On a night when we trailed for most of the game, the Hawks won his 16 minutes by 22. That is what energy looks like on a box score.

Ten in the fourth

Then came Kyle Adnam. Introduced in the third quarter, the veteran point guard took over the fourth with 10 of his 11 points: a three for 110-90, a smooth middy, a pick and roll with Sam Froling, another three to make it 116-107, and a layup at the death.

Adnam finished with 11 points on 4 of 6 shooting, 2 of 3 from deep, in nine minutes, and a +17. The JackJumpers had to finish the game with their best on the floor because of the pressure he and Grida applied.

"I'm just proud of how they just kept playing... guys came in and just just kept fighting showing fight and just showing at the end of the day that, you know, we're still here, we're just trying to find a way to keep pushing."

Coach Tatum On the team's fighting spirit and resilience:

"I'm just proud of how they just kept playing... guys came in and just just kept fighting showing fight and just showing at the end of the day that, you know, we're still here, we're just trying to find a way to keep pushing."

Fourteen in the third for Kelan

Kelan Martin led us with 23 points on 7 of 11 shooting, and 14 of them came in the third quarter alone. His threes for 82-58 and 85-65 started the climb back, and he went a perfect 6 of 6 from the line. He added 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

Davo glides, Frols battles

William “Davo” Hickey was everywhere. He finished with 21 points on 9 of 12 shooting, one shy of his career high, with 16 of those in the second half. He took Biwali Bayles down low to end the third, opened the fourth with a gliding layup with the whole crowd standing, and buried a corner three to keep the run alive.

Sam Froling went to war with Will Magnay in the fourth. A bucket over the JackJumpers captain, an and-one, a putback and the finish out of that Adnam pick and roll gave our co-captain 10 of his 12 points in the final quarter.

Milton Doyle, a championship winner in Tasmania colours, poured in 20 points against his old club with 4 threes and 3 steals, and kept the group composed when things were running against us. Lamar Patterson added 6 in the fourth with an and-one and a three, and Maker opened his home account with a three.

Where it got away

The damage was done before the break. Tasmania shot 72 per cent in the first half, won the boards early and went to the line often, ending with 31 free throw attempts to our 17. The first quarter finished 32-22, the second 35-25, and we went to the rooms down 67-47.

From there it was a different game. We won the third 26-24 and the fourth 39-31. The challenge is simple and fixable: bring the second-half effort from the opening tip. Lock down at the defensive end.

Tatum on what needs to change heading into the next game:

"Defense. We got to play better defense... give the same energy that our group that we had out there on the floor the last three to five minutes gave us for the whole game."

A night of hot hands

Credit to the JackJumpers. David Johnson was red hot with 32 points on 9 of 10 shooting, including 5 of 6 from three in 16 minutes. Josh Bannan added 25 points and 7 rebounds, and Will Magnay finished with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists.

The Sandpit never sat down

The result didn’t go our way, but the WIN Entertainment Centre delivered all night.

Half time belonged to local guitar phenom Harry, who took over the Sandpit with a rocking performance that showed exactly why he has 200k followers on instagram @guitarhazzy.

Kelly had the whole arena holding its breath in CMG Half Court Mayhem, nailing all three shots with time to spare before lining up a few heaves from half way at the prize. It survived again, just, and it won’t stay safe for long. (Register for your chance)

And the loudest roar of the night came with two seconds left, when two missed JackJumpers free throws sent Hawkheads home with cheeseburgers.

It was a big night off the court too, as the Illawarra Hawks Foundation launched.

Your vote, Hawkheads

Voting for the Greater Bank Game MVP, presented by the Hawks’ Major Community Partner, is open now.

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A few possible contenders:

• Kelan Martin (23 points)
• Davo Hickey (21 points on 9 of 12)
• Milton Doyle (20 points, 4 threes, 3 steals)
• Kyle Adnam (11 points, 10 in the fourth)
• Daniel Grida (9 points on 3 of 3, +22).

Taipans in town on Sunday

No time to dwell. Two home games in three days means we’re straight back at the WIN Entertainment Centre on Sunday 11 October at 5:00pm against the Cairns Taipans. Cairns bring leading scorer Jack McVeigh and Next Star Luke Paul, the 17-year-old Duke commit.

Take the energy of that second half into Sunday. Grab your tickets now on Ticketmaster.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and X for highlights and photos from tonight.

Press Conference Presented by Relativity Films