Hawks Show Promise in Defeat to 36ers

The frontcourt pairing of Daniel Johnson and Robert Franks fired for the first real time in NBL23 for the Adelaide 36ers and the end result was an important 96-80 road victory against the Illawarra Hawks on Thursday night.

Both teams came into the opening clash of Round 6 needing a win with the Hawks on a six-game losing skid while Adelaide has also lost two straight including by 29 points at home last week to New Zealand.

The Hawks kept fighting and got back within two in the third quarter with their guard duo of Tyler Harvey and Peyton Siva having good nights.

However, the Sixers wouldn’t be denied and an 18-5 run during the fourth quarter put the game to bed and they ended up winning by 16 to steady to 3-3 while the Hawks are now 1-8.

Tyler Harvey top-scored for the Hawks with 25 points with four three-pointers with Peyton Siva delivering 11 points and 10 assists. Wani Swaka Lo Buluk added 12 points and Mangok Mathiang 10 to go with seven rebounds and two blocks.

Tyler Harvey did his best to spark the Hawks offensively early but up the other end the Hawks had no answer for the Adelaide front court.

The Hawks were able to stem the tide the rest of the half with Peyton Siva doing well running the show but shooting 36 per cent from the field and going 3/15 from deep meant the Sixers maintained a 49-37 lead by half-time with Franks and Johnson combining for 25 of those 49 points.

The signs weren’t great to start the second for Illawarra with three more quick buckets for Franks to keep the lead beyond double-figures, but slowly but surely the Hawks worked back into the contest.

Siva was central to everything setting up his teammates and even draining a three-pointer himself as the Hawks made it a two-point ball game.

Even though the 36ers had pushed it back out to seven by three quarter-time, the Hawks had a sniff and then the early stages of the fourth term became a three-point barrage.

Harvey hit three straight for Illawarra including one that became a four-point play, but they couldn't stop the 36ers up the other end and then Drmic hit a couple from deep, and Johnson and Sunday Dech added another, the game was done.

The Hawks now don't play again in Round 6 and with the FIBA window next week, their next game isn’t until Sunday November 20 against the Sydney Kings at Qudos Bank Arena.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL ROUND 6

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 80 (Harvey 25, Swaka Lo Buluk 12, Siva 11)

ADELAIDE 36ERS 96 (Johnson 28, Franks 25, Drmic 16) 

BOX SCORE