Wollongong Hawks go down to the New Zealand Breakers 89-97

In a game where the lead just kept switching the Breakers were too much for the Hawks in the final Quarter to break a 4 game losing streak 89-87. Rotnei Clark must have watched Chris goulding against the Taipans and thought he could do that, to finish with 36 points.

New zealand started with a decent lead and Rotnei Clark was working hard to keep Wollongong alive but the Hawks couldn't get any rebounds. The Breakers kept getting second and third attempts to hold a lead at 6 min 10-13.

It looked like the Hawks dry patch was holding from their game in Perth and kept missing around the rim. The Hawks were getting stops but couldn't capitlise with a basket and lead was stretching 3 min 14-20.

To start Kevin Tiggs sustained his dry patch and couldn't finish around the rim after some nice moves inside. Rhy Martin made a step back 2 on the buzzer to close the quarter 21-26. Hawks managed to slow them in the second 5min but needed to make some buckets.

Second Qtr: Clark started heating up with a 3 to open the quarter but pledger kept making his shots. Pledger has really picked up his mid range game and couldnt be stopped early with 13p at 6:26 in the second quarter eventually finishing with 19 point and 7 rebounds

Tiggs missed another big dunk, but finally broke the drought with a rebound to run the floor and make a tough shot. Then Rotnei Clark made another 3 to take the lead 29-28 with only one and half minutes off the clock in the second quarter.

The Referees made another terrible call for the weekend with a reach in foul by Darryl Corletto from behind on a fast break and they disallow the two points. Later they called another unsportsmanlike a regular foul with the consistency across the league terrible. 

Hawks played some terrible offensive sets to close the half and the Breakers forced the turnovers just in from half court to retake and stretch the lead, 45-49.

Rotnei Clark finished the half with 20p and had this to say on the the last minutes of the half, "At the end there we didn't know what was going on with our offence “

2nd Half: 

In the first minutes of the quarter the Hawks came out hot again with Coenradd hitting two 3 pointers in a row to tie it up 51-51. Tiggs made a lay up and they take the lead 53-51, but a Darryl Corletto 3 takes it back in a great competitive start with both teams hitting shots and he lead kept switching.

The lead continued switching and at the 5:00 minute mark it was W58-59NZ. 

Kerron Johnson who was having a slow game got knocked to the ground on a Tyson Demos moving screen and stays down. The crowd didn't like the call and Johnson had to leave the floor due to the hit to his head. It was a physical game and in the next play Coenraad was thrown to the ground in a rebound contest with no call.  A 3 pointer from CJ Bruton and Darryl Corletto stretched the lead but a steal and lay up on the buzzer by Tiggs closed the quarter W68-69NZ. Kevin Tiggs finished with 18 points and had a big third quarter while Clark had a slow one with none in the third.

4^th Qtr: Rotnei Clark opened the quater with a nice drive and got his first points of the half to retake the lead 70-69. Straight after he had killer pass into Gruber on the inside to stretch it W72-69NZ in the first 1:30 of the last quarter. Kerron Johnson came back on and was immediately boo'd by the crowd.

Johnson got going in the last qtr listening to the boos and New Zealand retook the lead 80-83Nz with 4 minutes left in the game.

In the dyeing minutes the hawks couldn't get the calls they wanted and the veteran plays by CJ Bruton were too smooth as they Breakers managed to hold the lead. Clark did what he could to keep the Hawks alive and some bad free throw shooting by Kerron Johnson looked like he could but it wasn't enough and the Breakers broke their 4 game losing streak by winning 89-97.

New Zealand Breakers 97 (Pledger 19, Vukona 18, Corletto 15)

Wollongong Hawks 89 (Clarke 36, Tiggs 18, Coenraad 12)