Game Report: Hawks @ 36ers | Rd7 NBL26

The Illawarra Hawks delivered the exact kind of response Coach Justin Tatum was demanding, pushing the high-flying Adelaide 36ers to the brink in a 90–88 thriller on Sunday afternoon at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

Following Friday night’s heavy Indigenous Round defeat, Tatum didn’t mince words — and neither did his team in their gritty Round 7 performance.

“I first want to apologise to our fans and our members for the lack of effort that we gave today. As a whole and as a team, we will definitely do better next home game on Wednesday,” Tatum said after the New Zealand loss.

Bounce back they did.

A new-look starting five — Will Hickey, Wani Swaka Lo Buluk, Tyler Harvey, Jonah Bolden, and JaVale McGee — set the tone from the opening tip, attacking early, defending hard, and refusing to let Adelaide settle.

JaVale McGee was once again a force in the paint, finishing with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists. But it was Will Hickey who stole the spotlight — stuffing the stat sheet with 20 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 3 steals, and 4 blocks while playing fearless on both ends of the floor.

Illawarra built a game-high 8-point lead midway through the third quarter thanks to hustle plays from Mason Peatling and a crucial three from Tyler Harvey (15 points). But the 36ers, led by Bryce Cotton (24 points) and Zylan Cheatham (13 points, 13 boards), would not go away.

With the game hanging in the balance in the final two minutes, Hickey’s and-one finish trimmed the deficit to one. After a stop, the Hawks had a chance to steal it, but Harvey’s floater rolled off the rim. Cotton went 1-2 from the line to make it 90-88, then Hickey was sent to the line with 1.6 seconds left but couldn’t pull off the miracle — missing the first before deliberately missing the second for a hope a tip in.

Still, the Hawks’ performance was a far cry from Friday’s result — showing fight, structure, and connection from start to finish.

Wani Swaka Lo Buluk added 9 points, while Peatling off the bench had 12 points and 6 boards. Blanchfield chipped in 10 points and 4 rebounds in just 16 minutes.

The defensive effort was also notable — Daniel Grida’s relentless work on Cotton, particularly in the second quarter, helped hold the MVP to just one made field goal in that term.

Now 2–6 on the season, the Hawks return to The Sandpit on Wednesday night to host league leading Melbourne United (9-0 at time of writing) — and with the fight shown in Adelaide, they’ll do so with belief.

🎟️ Grab your tickets now via Ticketmaster and help us turn the tide at home in this Ignite Cup matchup!

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HUNGRY JACK’S NBL SEASON 2025/26 Rd7 (Boxscore)

ADELAIDE 36ERS 90 (Cotton 24, Cheatham 13, Vasiljevic 12, Humphries 12)
ILLAWARRA HAWKS 88 (Hickey 20, McGee 17, Harvey 15)