From 42-Point Loss to Heartbreak: Hawks Show Resilience in Defeat to Adelaide
The Illawarra Hawks faced a heartbreaking 90-88 defeat against the Adelaide 36ers on Sunday afternoon. Despite recently suffering their equal-lowest franchise score, the Hawks delivered one of their strongest performances in NBL26.
Hickey’s Near Triple-Double
With 1.6 seconds remaining, Will "Davo" Hickey had a chance to tie the game with two free throws but missed both attempts. Hickey finished with a team-high 20 points, along with nine rebounds, eight assists, and four blocked shots. He was just shy of becoming the second indigenous player in the league’s history to record a triple-double.
Team Resilience After a Difficult Week
Heading into the game, Illawarra had not won in Adelaide for four years. The Hawks’ head coach, Justin Tatum, was pleased with his team’s response following a heavy 102-60 loss to the New Zealand Breakers just 48 hours earlier in Wollongong.
"I tip my hat off to my team for coming back and having so much resilience and fighting them today. They gave a great effort on both ends of the floor, just a little bit unlucky," Tatum said. "If my team plays like this every game from now on with a full, healthy roster, we can beat anybody."
Despite the narrow loss, the Hawks demonstrated significant determination and progress.
Author’s Summary
The Illawarra Hawks showed impressive grit and near historic individual performances in a close defeat, signaling growth after a tough run.