The Illawarra Hawks’ NBL title defence hit a new low on Saturday night as the reigning champions suffered an embarrassing 93-76 loss to an under-strength Cairns Taipans at WIN Entertainment Centre.
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Seemingly back on track after a 113-109 overtime victory over South East Melbourne Phoenix on Thursday, the Hawks under-estimated the cellar-dwelling Taipans, who were without several key players including Australian Boomers forward Jack McVeigh.
It was the sixth straight time the Hawks have lost immediately after an overtime game and left them languishing with a 5-10 win-loss record before they host Brisbane in Wollongong next Thursday night.
In one of the upsets of the season, the Hawks had no answers to the Taipans’ swarming, suffocating defence, physicality at both ends of the floor, and all-court hustle.
After giving up 27 offensive rebounds against Phoenix on Thursday night, the Hawks were almost as ineffective on the glass against Cairns.
The Hawks were out-rebounded 26-13 overall in the first half, when the game was still a contest, and 43-39 by full-time. They allowed 13 offensive rebounds, including some crucial boards late in the fourth quarter when they were trying to mount a comeback.
Cairns led by 23 points late in the third quarter and, despite a Hawks rally early in the fourth which cut the deficit to 78-72 midway through the period, the Taipans (4-12) held on for just their fourth win of the season.
Sluggish start
Just 48 hours after their 113-109 overtime victory over Phoenix at the same venue, the Hawks looked flat and a little flustered in a back-and-forth first quarter.
After eight lead changes, scores were tied 20-20 at the first break as both teams struggled to establish enough cohesion to take control.
Sparked by guard Andrew Andrews, who had 15 points in the first half, Cairns opened the second term on a 7-0 run then extended their lead to 34-24 by the middle of the quarter.
Consecutive three-pointers by Kyrin Galloway and Andrews stretched the Taipans’ lead to 44-29, forcing Hawks coach Justin Tatum to call a time out with 2min 22sec on the clock, but it had little impact as Cairns took a 49-34 advantage into half-time.
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“We just had a good FIBA break, a lot of guys got some rest, then Coach (Adam Forde) came back and gave us a new game plan coming in,” Andrews told Fox Sports at half-time.
“We got two weeks to prepare and get our minds right, and we tried to make a push at it.”
Andrews finished with an equal career-high 27 points, including five three-pointers, and was ably assisted by Admiral Schofield (17 points, 11 rebounds), Galloway (16 points, 14 rebounds), and Mojave King and Marcus Lee (12 points each).
Oh, baby
The Taipans arrived in Wollongong without star off-season recruit Jack McVeigh, who stayed home in Cairns to be with his wife, Beth, for the birth of their first child.
An Australian representative and NBL championship-winner with Tasmania, McVeigh has averaged 20.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 5.1 assists a game in 12 appearances in his first season with Cairns but they got the job done without their main man.
Injured guard Reyne Smith (foot) and forward Sam Waardenburg (ankle) also missed the game for Cairns but are due to return later this month, but Alex Higgins-Titsha (wrist) is out for the rest of the season.
Grida gets his groove back
It has been a tough season so far for Hawks guard Dan Grida, who has had several stints on the sidelines dealing with concussion symptoms.
But Grida’s impact off the bench in the third quarter gave Hawks fans something to cheer about on an otherwise miserable night.
The man with the magnificent mullet scored 12 of his career-high 18 points in the third quarter, despite taking some heavy hits while driving to the basket.
Grida led the Hawks in scoring, out-pointing teammates JaVale McGee (17 points, 11 rebounds), Tyler Harvey (12) and Davo Hickey (10 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists).
SLOW STARTING JACKJUMPERS FALL TO BREAKERS
The New Zealand Breakers have sent a reminder of its power to the rest of the NBL with a big win over the Tasmania JackJumpers.
From the opening tip, the Breakers were dominant after starting with a 12-0 run and never let up as they jumped into the top-six with a 99-86 win.
The JackJumpers were a shadow of their best with the pressure amped up by the Breakers as the travelling side failed to land a shot until the six minute mark of the opening term.
The win helped the Breakers leapfrog the JackJumpers into sixth spot while Tasmania now sit seventh.
Tasmania’s captain Will Magnay played his best game of the season but it wasn’t enough to lift the travelling side.
New Zealand’s Izaiah Brockington finished with a game-high 22 points to go with his four rebounds and four assists but it was the Breakers captain Parker Jackson-Cartwright who set up his teammates with 12 assists.
The Breakers now head on the road for four games to finish 2025 while the JackJumpers have two more road games before hosting the Breakers on Boxing Day.
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Mennenga slam dunk
The New Zealand tall did it early in the first quarter but nothing compared to midway through the third where Sam Mennenga put a statement through the hoop with his left hand. Breaking through the JackJumpers defence, Mennenga slammed down a one handed dunk over the top of a defender.
Magnay back to his best
Injury has plagued Magnay in recent seasons but the JackJumpers skipper looked back at his best. Magnay finished with 18 points, seven rebounds and two assists but it was his four blocks that were a talking point. The Jackies captain had three blocks inside the first five minutes, with two of those coming within seven seconds of each other.
Shooting radar off
The Breakers burst out of the blocks which was helped by the travelling side struggling to hit a bucket as the Breakers had a 12-0 start. It went from bad to worse throughout the game for the JackJumpers who finished with a shooting percentage of 38. Despite a second quarter fightback, the JackJumpers simply were not good enough to overcome the deficit.
Tyger tamed
It was a game point guard Tyger Campbell would like to forget after he failed to fire. The usually influential import finished with just two points, two rebounds and two assists. The JackJumpers will need him to return to his best if they are to knock off South East Phoenix on Wednesday night.
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