A Tyler Harvey three-point bomb with six seconds left has lifted Illawarra Hawks to a stirring game two victory, 102-100 in Melbourne.
The Hawks have tasted victory in an NBL Championship Series game for the first time since 2010 and it could not have been more timely.
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Justin Tatum’s team had trailed 1-0 in the series after losing game 1 on their home court and were staring down the barrel of defeat when United veteran Ian Clark gave his side the lead from the free throw line with 10 seconds to go.
Who better for the Hawks to turn to for a big shot at the death than Harvey?
That is the veteran’s stock and trade and he rose up over Clark to score the dagger.
United had one final chance with captain Chris Goulding’s three-point attempt going agonisingly in and out to leave the home fans devastated and a mouth-watering best-of-five series locked at a game apiece.
The Hawks had to hold on for dear life as United stormed home.
Clark, who scored 31 points, hopped in the driver’s seat for United and tried to steer his side home.
But the Hawks, many of whom were largely foreign to championship series play before this series, showed tremendous grit to fight out a victory.
Head knock concern
Not only did the Hawks win, but they might not have to deal with United’s defensive menace Shea Ili in game three in Wollongong on Sunday.
In a significant development, Ili never returned to the game after half time after copping an accidental elbow from Hawks guard Will Hickey in the second period.
The 32-year-old was assessed at half time and ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Ili has endured a wretched history of concussions, so this is a serious concern.
Big three dominate
The Hawks big three all fired.
Harvey aggressively hunted his shot to have a team-high 24 points.
Hawks centre Sam Froling took the honours in an enthralling big man battle against Marcus Lee and Rob Loe with 23 points, five rebounds and three assists.
The Hawks star of the regular season, Trey Kell III, snapped out of the funk he endured in game 1 to show out as the star that he is.
Kell had a typically well rounded game with 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Goulding, who had fired in 19 three pointers over his previous two John Cain Arena outings, looked ominous with two early threes, but he was kept relatively in check.
Goulding threatened to explode to life in the second half, finishing with 17 points and four assists, but his five turnovers hurt.
Bench impact
United were served well off the bench in the first half.
Speedy guard Flynn Cameron provided a spark and Clark once again impacted.
But it was Tanner Krebs who lifted United into a six-point lead early in the second.
Krebs launched two three-pointers late in the first to give United parity at quarter time.
United’s three-point shooting in the first was red hot, going 7/9 (77%).
Hawks hold on
The Hawks, sparked by a Harvey three and some nifty play in the paint from Froling, opened up the third period on an 8-0 run.
It was a double-digit Hawks lead midway through the third before Goulding awoke from his slumber to score his first points since the five-minute mark of the first quarter, but the visitors marched confidently to three quarter time with a 82-71.
Clark, Goulding and Matthew Dellavedova all hit threes to reduce the margin to three and it was game on.
Hickey put the Hawks up two from the free throw line before Clark was fouled on a three-point attempt and hit all three to put United up one with 10.4 seconds left on the clock, then Harvey called game.
NBL SCOREBOARD
Melbourne United 100 (Clark 31 Goulding 17) lt Illawarra Hawks 102 (Harvey 24 Froling 23)
At John Cain Arena, Melbourne.
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