Game Report: Hawks @ Wildcats | Rd6 NBL26

The Illawarra Hawks have pulled off their biggest win of the season to date — edging out the Perth Wildcats 85–84 in a nail-biting Indigenous Round showdown at RAC Arena.

Veteran centre JaVale McGee stood tall in the final moments, sinking a go-ahead free throw with 1.2 seconds on the clock, then blocking Perth’s last-gasp shot attempt to seal a gritty one-point win in front of the hostile Red Army.

🪃 Indigenous Round – Pride, Purpose and Pressure

Wearing their striking Indigenous jerseys, the Hawks came out with intensity, pressure and purpose — powered by a surprise starting lineup that included 17-year-old Kiwi Jackson Ball.

🔥 First Half – Bigs Dominate, Wani Explodes

Mason Peatling opened the game with a straight-on three, JaVale McGee threw down a monster dunk, and Swaka Lo Buluk scored three straight layups in a blistering opening to give Illawarra a 13–9 edge.

Tyler Harvey added a deep stepback three, and Harry Froling beat the first-quarter buzzer to push the Hawks out to a 23–19 lead.

The second quarter saw Illawarra lock in defensively. Wani stayed hot with a corner three, Harvey added his trademark floater, and Jackson Ball calmly knocked down two free throws in the first start of his NBL career. Todd Blanchfield hit a straight-on triple, forcing a Perth timeout.

At the half, the Hawks led 41–34 — with Swaka Lo Buluk already on 9 points and Illawarra holding Perth to a miserable 1-of-17 from three.

🥊 Third Quarter – Perth Surge, Hawks Hang On

Harvey kept firing after the break, knocking down two early threes to keep the margin intact. But Jo Lual-Acuil Jr answered for Perth with a powerful dunk and a jump hook to spark a 9–0 run that gave the Wildcats their first lead since the opening minutes.

A Peatling drive stopped the bleeding, but Perth finished the quarter strong — winning the third 24–11 and taking a 58–52 lead into the final term.

🧊 Fourth Quarter – McGee & Harvey Close It Late

Harvey opened the fourth with his fourth triple of the night, but Perth answered immediately through Jo Lual-Acuil Jr, who converted an and-one to restore their lead. Wani responded with a layup, before McGee made his presence felt again — throwing down a powerful drop-step dunk, then scoring off an offensive rebound to level the game at 63-all.

A wing three from Todd Blanchfield — after a fortunate no-call on what looked like a Hawks turnover on the inbound — gave Illawarra a 68-66 edge.

But Perth, cold from deep all night, suddenly got hot — draining three triples in quick succession, including a pair from Elijah Pepper, to take a 72-68 lead and force a timeout from Jacob Tatum.

Jonah Bolden hit a smooth two-dribble pull-up to cut it to 70-72, and then the game flipped again when Jo Lual-Acuil Jr was called for an offensive foul with 3:56 remaining, fouling out of the game and removing Perth’s interior anchor just as the game tightened.

That opened the door for Illawarra’s stars.

• Harvey drilled his another three to close the gap to 73-75.
• Despite McGee entering foul trouble with 2:47 left, he threw down a lob dunk from Harvey to make it 75-77, then soon after buried a post hook to regain the lead at 80-79.

The last 90 seconds were a blur:

• McGee floated in a tough jumper to make it 82-81.
• A huge defensive stop gave Illawarra the ball back, and Harvey calmly sank two free throws with 4.5 seconds left — 84-81.
• Perth ran a brilliant after-timeout set, freeing up Elijah Pepper in the corner, who tied it at 84-84 with 1.2 seconds to go.

But then…

Perth fouled McGee with 1.2 seconds left.
He missed the first.

Sank the second.
85–84.

Then, the final exclamation point — McGee blocked Perth’s last shot to complete the upset.

📊 Final Stats:

JaVale McGee: 24 PTS, 11 REB,  3 STL
Tyler Harvey: 24 PTS, 8 AST, 5 REB, 5/13 3PT
Wani Swaka Lo Buluk: 11 PTS (5/7 FG), 2 STL, 2 REB
Jackson Ball: 2 PTS, 5 REB in first NBL start
Todd Blanchfield: 8 PTS, key fourth-quarter triple
Jonah Bolden: 7 PTS, 8 REB
Mason Peatling: 5 PTS, 4 REB

🔥 From the Other Side

Jo Lual-Acuil Jr had 18 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out. Elijah Pepper added 12, while Kristian Doolittle had 9 points, 8 boards and 5 assists. Perth finished 5-of-32 from three — with four makes coming in a late burst during the fourth.

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

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 85 (McGee 24, Harvey 24, Swaka Lo Buluk 11)
PERTH WILDCATS 84 (Lual-Acuil Jr 18, Pepper 12, Doolittle 9)

🦅 Next Home Game

📅 Friday, October 31 vs New Zealand Breakers
📍 WIN Entertainment Centre
🎟️ Get your tickets now via Ticketmaster

📲 Head to our social media for match highlights, interviews, and behind-the-scenes access.