Hawks hit back at home over JackJumpers

It was a performance by committee as the NBL leading Illawarra Hawks shook off consecutive home losses to beat the defending champion Tasmania JackJumpers 89-84.

The Hawks had lost two straight at home after five straight wins but hit back at the WIN Entertainment Centre on Tuesday night to give the JackJumpers consecutive losses after their eight straight victories.

Both teams were looking to respond with the Hawks still in top spot but having lost at home to the South East Melbourne Phoenix, and in a shocker to the Cairns Taipans from winning positions.

The JackJumpers saw their eight-game winning run end in Hobart on Sunday also at the hands of the Phoenix with the Hawks opening up a handy lead in the second quarter after a tight first term.

Illawarra outscored Tasmania 27 points to 13 up to the point Mason Peatling landed a three-pointer and the home team was still on top 49-36 at the break on shooting 50 per cent to the 35 from the JackJumpers.

Sam Froling (15 points, six rebounds, four assists) and Tyler Harvey (18 points, 4/9 from three) had combined for 21 points for the Hawks while the JackJumpers had just three points from Jordon Crawford (13 points, three assists) and Milton Doyle (one point, 10 rebounds, seven assists).

Tasmania opened up the half outscoring Illawarra 18 points to seven with Sean Macdonald knocking down two more three-pointers, and 350-game milestone man Reuben Te Rangi (eight points, two assists) another.

That saw the JackJumpers get back as close as two points before the Hawks responded to be back up 10 early in the fourth with a three-point dagger from Wani Swaka Lo Buluk (seven points).

Tasmania never gave up the fight but Illawarra held firm to win by five and stay top at 14-7 with Trey Kell III finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds and four assists, Darius Days 12 points and six boards, and Mason Peatling a crucial nine points, six rebounds, three assists and three blocks.

Hawks coach Justin Tatum didn’t shy away from the importance of the win.

"It was extremely important because if you lose a game like that with the situation we're in, and it would have been potentially our third loss in-a-row," he said.

"That would have started messing with our locker room mentally so it was very important to get back on the winning track."

It's consecutive losses for the 11-10 JackJumpers despite Sean Macdonald's 19 points on 5/7 shooting from deep, Majok Deng's 16 points and three rebounds, and Fabijan Krslovic's 11 points, 10 boards and six assists.

The Hawks attempting 23 free-throws to 11 from his team wasn't lost on JackJumpers coach Scott Roth.

"I'm pleased with the effort and I have been for the last two months because these guys continue to show up and do the work," he said.

"We had a few moments that maybe we could have captured, but we just couldn’t finish off some things around the rim and then the foul discipline with some tick tack reach-in fouls was the deciding factor.

"I thought it was a good effort across the board from our guys and the fight was good."

Sam Froling had a three-point play and Tyler Harvey a three-pointer to give Illawarra the 6-2 start as they attempted to bounce back but the JackJumpers responded with a pair of triples to Sean Macdonald.

The Hawks soon went on an 8-2 run with three balls from Harvey and Darius Days, but Tasmania stayed in touch closing out the quarter with six of the last eight points to cut the lead of the home team to 20-18.

Illawarra had a hot start to the second period with an 11-3 run including a long ball from Trey Kell III and the lead was out to double-figures, but Tasmania stayed in touch with five straight points from Anthony Drmic.

The Hawks were feeling good, though, and went on another 14-4 scoring run to see the lead out to 16 when Mason Peatling hit a three-pointer, and from there they were leading 49-36 by the half-time break.

You can never count Tasmania out and the defending champs fired back quickly to start the second half with the first eight points starting with triples to Reuben Te Rangi and Macdonald.

Another 8-0 scoring run topped off with a Macdonald three ball had the JackJumpers back within two but the Hawks were still up five at three quarter-time after Kell knocked down just a second field goal of the game.

When Wani Swaka Lo Buluk hit a three early in the fourth the Hawks were back up by 10, and it was 12 when Harvey also landed a three ball, but Tasmania still kept things interesting with three-pointers from Majok Deng and Crawford.

Even again after Illawarra was back up 10, the JackJumpers scored the next seven points to make it a three-point game after the Crawford basket in transition with two minutes to play.

The Hawks did enough to close it out, though, for the bounce back win and consign the reigning champs to back-to-back losses.

The Hawks remain at home for a fourth successive home game against the New Zealand Breakers on Saturday, but before that the JackJumpers will be back home to host the Adelaide 36ers on Friday.

HUNGRY JACK'S NBL SEASON 2024/25

ILLAWARRA HAWKS 89 (Kell III 19, Harvey 18, Froling 15)

TASMANIA JACKJUMPERS 84 (Macdonald 19, Deng 16, Crawford 13)

BOX SCORE