Trey Kell’s hot start had Illawarra on track to set NBL records, before the Hawks cooled and settled for a 108-100 defeat of New Zealand Breakers.
The hosts scored a 40-minute club record 69 first-half points on Saturday, Kell (31 points) with 24 of them as they blasted the out-of-sorts Breakers in Wollongong.
With the all-time NBL high score of 130 points in their sights, the Hawks were slowed by some improved Breakers defence and game management in what de-escalated to a routine win.
Sam Mennenga (24 points) showed heart in the second half as the Breakers almost halved a 24-point deficit, before the hosts again shot clear.
But Breakers guard Matthew Mooney (33 points, eight assists) then hit a series of late triples to flatter the visitors.
Darius Days (22 points, six rebounds) was a helpful sidekick, while Tyler Harvey (19 points on five-of-eight shooting) took up the slack when Kell cooled in the second half.
“Just one of those times I got into a rhythm,” Kell said after the match.
“The players they have, we know what defence they’ll be in, and it was one of those nights my shots were falling.
“We don’t need one person to carry us; we have spurts. Tyler, Darius both had their moments tonight.”
The Hawks improved to a league-leading 15-7, while the Breakers (8-14) sit second last and three wins outside the cut-off line for the play-in tournament.
The Breakers’ Next Star, Mexican 17-year-old Karim Lopez (16 points), had his moments, but the visitors let themselves down in the effort areas when the game was on the line.
They collected just four offensive rebounds to the Hawks’ 20, while turnovers were 9-18 in the hosts’ favour.
Hyunjung Lee was left wide open for a simple lay-up on the final play of the half, summing up their plight.
https://thewest.com.au/sport/basketball/hawks-blast-breakers-early-to-maintain-nbl-pace-c-17356050
