The Illawarra Hawks have dropped a second straight game with the last-placed Cairns Taipans ending their 15-game losing run with a dramatic last-second win in Wollongong. Subscribe now for unlimited access . Login or signup to continue reading The Hawks were winning 105-101 with 17 seconds left in the game, but a turnover by Will 'Davo' Hickey proved costly down the stretch as Rob Edwards hit a three-pointer to tie proceedings at 102-102 with just 2.
2 seconds left on the clock. The drama continued after the Hawks' timeout when Trey Kell III's inbound pass was intercepted by Taran Armstrong, who Hyunjung Lee fouled. The Hawks argued the siren had sounded for full-time, but the referees deemed it a foul, and Armstrong went to the foul line and made all three free throws to seal a dramatic 108-105 win.
The visitors started better and led 8-2 with 4.55 left in the first term, but Cairns coach Adam Forde still called a timeout. The Hawks responded better to the stoppage, returning to outscore the Taipans 22-11 to enjoy a 24-19 lead after the first quarter.
Illawarra then scored the first five points in the second half to lead by 10 points, but the Taipans went on an 11-1 run to lead 31-30 midway through the term. But the Hawks settled into their game and took a double-digit lead into halftime, 56-45. Trey Kell III was especially good for Illawarra, contributing 16 points, five rebounds, and two assists in the opening 20 minutes.
He was well backed by Darius Days (10 points and two.
