Hawks dominate Phoenix to continue good signs under Tatum

The Hawks resurgence under interim head coach Justin Tatum continued on Saturday evening with a 100-72 belting of the shorthanded South East Melbourne Phoenix in Traralgon.

Hawks guard Tyler Harvey had his best half of the season on Saturday, before big men Gary Clark and Sam Froling combined to blow the scoreline out in the third quarter.

The Hawks have now won three of four games since installing Tatum as interim head coach. The one loss was a heartstopping one-point defeat in Brisbane too so it so easily could have been four from four.

They won only two of their first nine to begin the season, and before the win over the Phoenix had not beaten a team by 20 points since April 2022.

Froling (16 points) and Clark (12 points, 13 rebounds) helped mastermind a 12-0 run that pushed the lead out to 17 points as the final minute of the third period approached.

When Justin Robinson hit a jumper and three-pointer in quick succession just after the final change, the lead was 22 and the Hawks were closing in on a win.

Earlier, Hawks guard Harvey had his best half in recent memory on his way to a season-best 25 points on a supremely efficient 10-of-15 shooting from the field and 4-of-7 from deep..

He amassed 22 first-half points - more than he had scored for an entire game this season - and helped erase Illawarra's five-point quarter-time deficit.

Harvey had to sit down midway through the second quarter in foul trouble but the Hawks depth shone through, with Peatling, Swaka Lo Buluk, and Lee keeping the scorebard ticking over.

The Hawks return home this Saturday night for a blockbuster matchup with the Tasmania JackJumpers.

Tickets available through Ticketmaster - Tickets: 2023-24 Hungry Jacks NBL Season - Illawarra Hawks v Tas JackJumpers, Wollongong | Sat, 23 Dec 2023, 5:30 pm | Ticketmaster AU 

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 11

SOUTH EAST MELBOURNE PHOENIX 72 (Williams 17, Ayre 15, Te Rangi 11) 

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 100 (Harey 25, Froling 16, Robinson 14) 

BOX SCORE