Round 16: Hawks vs Bullets

We have wanted to lead with this for some time, so here it goes - your Illawarra Hawks will look to make it back-to-back wins as we take on the Brisbane Bullets at WIN Entertainment Centre tomorrow evening.

A Tyler Harvey bomb with seconds remaining clinched our first road win of NBL23 and sent Hawk Nation and social media into a frenzy.

After putting themselves in winning positions on several occasions this season, it was left to Harvey to seal the deal at Spark Arena with one of the shots of the season.

The final dagger was Harvey’s sixth three-pointer of the game on his way to a team-high 25 points.

The young Hawks burst out of the gates to take a 27-14 lead into quarter-time. The Breakers were searching for a spark of their own, and the outside shooting of rookie Dan Fotu captured momentum in the second quarter and closed the margin to four at the main break.

The Hawks extended the lead to nine at the final change and took a double-digit lead into the last three minutes, a scenario they have found themselves in on multiple occasions this season.

The Breakers turned up the defensive heat late and took the lead with 10.5 seconds remaining on the clock. Coach Jackomas put the ball in the hands of his best player in the final moments, and it proved to be a decisive move. The Breakers had one last attempt to steal the victory, but Cam Gliddon was unable to get the shot off over the outstretched hands of Hickey and Deng Deng. 

While Harvey stole the show down the stretch, his supporting cast had their moments. Mangok Mathiang continued his strong run of form with 15 points and five rebounds, including his first three-point make in the NBL. Sam Foling toiled hard for his 11 and 6, while an aggressive Wani Swaka Lo Buluk produced on both ends of the floor, finishing with 10 points.

Davo Hickey and Lachie Dent again shared the minutes at the point guard position and continued to impress. Hickey closed the game with some big-time makes at the rim after starting the game at the one.

The Hawks will hope to carry the momentum to Saturday night and reward a packed house at the WIN Entertainment Centre with a victory.

 Keep a Hawk Eye On

 Hawk Nation.

We are flipping the script this round, and all eyes will be on our members and fans as we look to Protect the Pit tomorrow night.

We know it's been some time between wins on our home floor, but we need the WIN Entertainment Centre rocking Saturday evening.

With just three home games to go, it's now or never to don the Hawks red, back, and white, or your best heritage round fits. Tickets are still available through Ticketmaster, and we look forward to seeing you all there for player introductions and lights out at 5:15 pm.

 Opposition Watch

 The Bullets hit Wollongong just one position above the Hawks on the standings, but in some winning form of their own.

After a tumultuous season that has seen the side work with three coaches, the Bullets are on a two-game winning streak after wins against the Phoenix and 36ers, both in playoff contention.

On Tuesday night, it was Jason Cadee leading the way for Brisbane, while back in the RiverCity, it was import guard Tyler Johnson who finished with 27 points in an overtime thriller.

The Bullets have depth and weapons at every position and have let the competition know they are looking to be a disruptor in the final weeks of the NBL23 season.

Protect the Pit

We are calling on all of Hawk Nation to turn out in force and "Protect the Pit."

Tip-off 5:30 pm – tickets from $30, and $70 for families, available through Ticketmaster now.