Tatum: "We expected it to be ugly"

When Illawarra fell behind by ten points in the second quarter against Brisbane, their four-game winning streak looked on shaky ground.

The Bullets were one of the hottest teams in the league going into the game, having won five of their last six, and in front of 6,500 avid home fans looked every bit the winner. 

Playing their third game in five days, Justin Tatum admits the Hawks weren’t at their best early on. 

“It was definitely ugly, but we expected it to be ugly because we were just coming off a game on Wednesday, travelling on Thursday,” he said.

“I just told the guys to stick with it. I was going to use all 10 or 11 players in the first half or first quarter, so we could stay as fresh as possible in the second half. 

“We didn’t want to give up 34 in the first quarter, but we knew Brisbane was going to come out ready fired up. I’m glad we were able to sustain it and guys got their rhythm and their groove and the way we finished the game.”

And finish the game the Hawks did. They conceded just 50 points in the final three quarters, with a 34-point quarter of their own ultimately breaking the Bullets’ hearts in the third.

An 18-point victory, 102-84, was Illawarra’s seventh straight score above 100.

“That first quarter wasn’t how we wanted to come out,” Will Hickey said. 

“Once we focused inwards and on what we needed to do, I was really proud of the way the guys came out ... 16, 18 and 16 points (conceded) to finish the game, that’s a hell of an effort after giving up 34 in the first.

“I’m just really proud of the boys for sticking with it.” 

“These guys are in really good shape right now, we’re blessed to be healthy,” Tatum continued. 

“Our continuity is unbelievable ... when one guy gets three or four fouls, it’s next man up and he knows he needs to turn it up even more.

“We did look fresh when we got it going and that’s what we expected. When we got our legs, our second wind, we made sure we put Brisbane in a track race.”

Now three games clear on top of the NBL standings, Hickey says he and his teammates have incredible belief in their coach’s message, and each other. 

“We know we’re not where we want to be yet,” he said. “We know there’s still more left to us.

“He (Tatum) instils us with this belief ... none of us really ever think we’re going to lose a game. 

“We all know and trust the person next to us. Even myself, the nerves go away once you see the calibre of player you’ve got next to you.” 

The Hawks had five stars in double-digit scoring, with all but one player in the squad hitting the scoreboard on the night. 

Trey Kell III (18 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals), Tyler Harvey (17 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists) and Sam Froling (15 points, 12 rebounds) led the way, while Hickey was hugely important with 12 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds. 

Illawarra now returns home to host the South East Melbourne Phoenix on New Year’s Eve, with tip-off from 5.30pm AEDT, live on ESPN.