Hawks Fail to Fire Against Breakers

The Illawarra Hawks failed to fire against the New Zealand Breakers at home with a 88-62 loss.

What New Zealand did especially in the first half to set up an eventual 24-point lead was set up with some stifling defence which the Hawks had no answer for. 

Then up the other end, the Breakers crashed the offensive glass and on the way to the 21-point half-time edge they had 10 second chance points and 12 points off turnovers.

They couldn’t get closer than 11 points with New Zealand answering every challenge to go on another 12-0 run late to end up winning by 26.

New Zealand finished the night with 53 rebounds to 36 including 17 offensively to 11 while scoring 15 second chance points and 21 points off Illawarra's 14 turnovers.

Meanwhile for the Hawks who suffered their fourth loss in five games to open NBL23, it was a rough night shooting 37 per cent from the floor with 6/21 from downtown.

Tyler Harvey had 12 points but also four turnovers and shot 5/16 while Lachie Dent finished with nine points, seven rebounds and four assists, and George King nine points and eight boards.

Fresh off their first win in Australia in their last 12 attempts, New Zealand arrived in Wollongong full of confidence but the Hawks were looking to bounce back and started well to lead 6-3 early.

Lachie Dent then knocked down a couple of shots to keep the home team on top before New Zealand took over and it was 18-year-old Next Star Rayan Rupert leading the charge. 

Things got worse for the Hawks with two missed free-throws from Mangok Mathiang before Deng Deng missed a dunk on the alley-oop from Tyler Harvey. Eventually they did break their drought and Davo Hickey gave a spark with a steal and breakaway dunk.

The Hawks did hit the first four points of the second half thanks to George King but every time Illawarra threatened a comeback, New Zealand would answer.

Jarrell Brantley answered that run with a three and then even after the Hawks had their best patch of the game scoring 11 straight points, Cam Gliddon drained back-to-back three balls for the Breakers.

The Hawks were warming to the challenge, though, and hit the last six points of the third quarter to be within 11 going into the fourth.

The Hawks have a week before hitting the court again also at home next Monday to the Brisbane Bullets.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 3

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 62 (Harvey 12, Dent 9, King 9)

NEW ZEALAND BREAKERS 88 (McDowell-White 17, Gliddon 12, Rupert 11) 

BOX SCORE