One-way traffic as Hawks rout New Zealand

The Result

Illawarra Hawks 102 - NZ Breakers 88

The Story

Brian Goorjian's men ramped up the defensive intensity and unleashed an offensive avalanche on the hapless NZ Breakers as the Illawarra Hawks ran away with a comprehensive 102-88 victory in tonight's NBL Cup clash.

The Hawks came out firing - none moreso than under pressure marquee star Deng Adel after going 0/15 from the field against Cairns over the weekend. Adel wasted no time getting back on the shooting horse, the former Cleveland Cavalier landing a huge three in the opening minutes that must have settled the nerves. He connected from deep again late in the opening quarter, but it was this thunderous dunk that brought the house down early.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Deng A-DAMN!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IllawarraProud?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IllawarraProud</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FlyAsOne?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FlyAsOne</a> <a href="https://t.co/V4vHkkbpZh">pic.twitter.com/V4vHkkbpZh</a></p>&mdash; Illawarra Hawks Basketball (@illawarrahawks) <a href="https://twitter.com/illawarrahawks/status/1363734578863595522?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Adel heading into the first break with a game high 8-points as the Hawks and Breakers were tied at 21 apiece.

The second quarter saw a return to normal programming - and by that we mean Tyler Harvey fired and connected at will. The Hawks leading scorer for #NBL 21 racking up seven points in the space of three minutes.

The trademark Goorjian defensive effort was back with a vengeance for the Hawks - with Harvey, Next Star Justinian Jessup and Cam Bairstow all pocketing steals as the Hawks cruised to a double-digit lead midway through the second term.

'The Bear' (Bairstow) also showing his range - dropping a pair of three balls on his way to 14 first-half points. The Hawks leading the Breakers 54-40 at the oranges - their biggest halftime lead of the season.

The Breakers came out of the intermission intent on pushing the pace, a quick 4-0 run putting some pressure on a Hawks outfit that has struggled in third quarters lately - but it was a pair of huge offensive rebounds from big men Sam Froling and AJ Ogilvy that lead to back-to-back triples from Jessup and that man Froling again - the Hawks immediately halting any Breakers momentum.

Speaking of momentum - a shot clock malfunction midway through the third term well and truly interrupted the game's flow as both sides were forced off the court for close to 20 minutes.

Following a quick shootaround, play continued with the Breakers cutting the lead to nine - before Jessup, Bairstow and Harvey restored Hawks order, extending the lead to 17 at the final break.

The last quarter was fairly dour affair until Goorjian unleashed the bench unit of Emmett Naar, Isaac White, Max Darling, Lachie Dent and Akoldah Gak.

The young quintet bursting with the energy and enthusiasm as they ran out the game and earned themselves some more meaningful NBL minutes.

The Stats

It was an efficient night for the Hawks. The squad shooting 50% from the field and an eye-watering 53% from beyond the arc.

Harvey, Jessup and Bairstow combining to go 11/20, with the latter not missing from deep on his way to 17 points in only 15 minutes of action.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">There&#39;s a bear out there...<a href="https://twitter.com/cambairstow41?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cambairstow41</a> with the sweet stroke!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IllawarraProud?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IllawarraProud</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FlyAsOne?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FlyAsOne</a> <a href="https://t.co/ebVXxQ6SDe">pic.twitter.com/ebVXxQ6SDe</a></p>&mdash; Illawarra Hawks Basketball (@illawarrahawks) <a href="https://twitter.com/illawarrahawks/status/1363740948790792193?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 22, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Harvey had another night out with 22 points, four assists and three steals. Golden State Warrior's draftee Jessup had 20 points and three steals.

Deng Adel snapped a shooting slump with 10 points from six shots, while Sam Froling had another handy game with eight points, six rebounds and three assists.

Skipper AJ Ogilvy continued his good season - doing a bit of everything with five points, five rebounds, two steals and three blocks.

The Hawks had ten different scorers in tonight's win, including the first points of the season for Kiwi rookie Darling. The Hawks bench unit also outscored the Breakers 37-24.

The Hawks ramped up the defensive destruction tonight, the squad stealing the ball 10 times to the Breakers three. New Zealand turned the ball over a whopping 22 times, while the Hawks only gave it away nine times.

The Hawks also managed to put up their highest scoring quarter (33) and total (102) for the year tonight.

The Casualty Ward

Nothing to report.

The Road Ahead

Round 7 NBL Cup – Friday 26 February at 5pm v Brisbane Bullets @ John Cain Arena, Melbourne

A match-up with the Bullets awaits the Hawks - a side they've already taken care of twice this season by an average of seven points.

Brisbane's last start was a 16-point drubbing at the hands of the SE Melbourne Phoenix - with the Bullets sitting in the bottom third of the ladder and in dire need of a win. 

The match has special significance for Hawks skipper AJ Ogilvy - the game set to be his 150th in the NBL.