Illawarra have pulled off a remarkable comeback to keep their NBL defence beating and knock Adelaide off top spot on the ladder.
Wani Swaka Lo Buluk’s tip in, from the Hawks’ third attempt on the possession with five seconds left on the clock, was the last to fall in Thursday’s 100-99 win in Wollongong.
The visitors called a time-out but Bryce Cotton missed an open three-pointer, then Flynn Cameron’s lay-up was too heavy and the Hawks escaped.
Teammates Tyler Harvey and QJ Peterson had earlier led the final-quarter comeback, trading buckets with 36ers star Cotton (28 points, nine assists) as they came from 16 points back to keep their faint finals hopes alive.
The Hawks had led by 10 before a 15-point 36ers run looked to have all-but ended their campaign.
US import Harvey, fresh off earning permanent Australian residency, wasn’t done though.
He hit a season-best six triples in his 22 points while Peterson (13 points) hit two of his three long-range makes down the stretch.
Will Hickey (22 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, four steals) was everywhere, sparking a string of turnovers in the final quarter that dragged the Hawks closer despite Cotton’s sharp-shooting.
It drops Adelaide (21-9) behind South East Melbourne (21-9) on percentage after their fifth loss in seven games, while last year’s champions (11-18) are still two wins behind sixth-placed Tasmania but have two games in hand.
JaVale McGee was kept to just eight points but had 14 rebounds and crucially kept the play alive before the Hawks’ match-winning bucket.
36ers centre Nick Rakocevic had 14 points and nine rebounds in his first game back from a one-match suspension.
