Hawks Away at Tasmania

Round 3 will tip-off at My State Bank Arena on Thursday night against a red-hot Tasmania, with the club looking to continue their winning ways fresh off Saturday evening’s home victory.

Behind a much-improved team shooting performance, the Hawks pulled away down the stretch to close out the Phoenix by 7 points in front of a parochial home crowd.

Justin Robinson showed the Hawks faithful his entire repertoire with a 26-point and 7-assist performance. Robinson’s backcourt running mate Tyler Harvey totalled 20 points of his own at a 60% clip from the field, while Sam Froling (17 points and eight rebounds), Lachie Olbrich (11 points) and Gary Clark (10 points) were all key contributors for the home side.

The fourth quarter belonged to Robinson and Lee, the latter connecting on back-to-back three-point bombs to seal the win.

Coach Jackomas’ squad will take great confidence into tonight’s match-up with the teams’ newfound depth to be tested early in our NBL24 campaign.

The Hawks will take to the court in Tasmania without forward Mason Peatling (cheekbone) and sharpshooter Hyunjung Lee (illness), with development players Biwali Bayles and Luca Yates taking their place in the lineup.

Opposition Watch

Scott Roth’s teams have started the new season as one of the genuine contenders in NBL24.

The JackJumpers will be riding high off their Round 2 exploits, which saw them record wins against the Sydney Kings at home and a come-from-behind road win against Melbourne United.

Tasmania boasts one of the league’s elite performers in Milton Doyle, who single-handedly took over the game down the stretch against United.

My State Bank Arena has quickly earned the reputation as one of the most hostile environments in the competition, with the Ant Army ensuring that an away win on the Island will be well earned.

Where it Will Be Won

Elite point guards, wing match-ups that stretch up and down both rosters and some of the competition’s elite rim protectors will ensure tonight’s match is not to be missed.

While Robinson v Crawford, Clark v Doyle, and Froling v Lee will be ones to watch, the depth of both sides at the wing positions could determine the result.

Look for the likes of Grida, Swaka Lo Buluk, Hickey and Blanchfield to nullify the impact of McVeigh, Drimic, Deng and Macdonald. 

The Hawks are the highest-scoring team in the competition across the first two rounds, but it’s at the defensive end where the Hawks wings can and will make the biggest impact.

Where to Watch

Catch all the action from 7:30pm LIVE on ESPN via Kayo and Foxtel.

Sign up for an Illawarra Hawks Membership and add a Digital Membership to watch every NBL game on ESPN on Kayo Sports. Visit hawks.com.au for more information.