Hawks Fly High At Home
Tagged in: Competitions, NBL
Battling for the last home quarterfinal, the Easy LPG Bay Hawks did all they could do on Friday night.
Now they wait for the CPS Nelson Giants tomorrow night.
The Hawks completed a 7-2 season on their Pettigrew.Green Arena home floor, with a 90-87 come-from-behind win over the Giants in their Dominion Finance NBL season finale, despite 40 points and nine rebounds from recent Tall Blacks retiree and Giants guard Phill Jones.
Getting 23 points, five assists and four steals from guard Paul Henare and a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double from American centre Kareem Johnson, the Hawks now currently sit fourth and in-line for a home playoff game.
But the defending champion Giants, who still hold the season tie-breaker by eight points over the Hawks despite the loss, can deny the Hawks with a win over the ninth-placed Property Brokers Manawatu Jets in Palmerston North on Saturday night.
Further confusing the equation, if the confirmed third-placed Appliance Shed Harbour Heat loss to Devon Dynamos Taranaki in New Plymouth tomorrow, the Giants would finish fifth after a three-way tie-breaker involving the Heat, Hawks and Giants at 11-7, even if they win.
Nelson should look no further than their free-throw shooting for tonight’s loss.
They shot an liquid-ice-cold 47 percent (16-of-34) from the foul-line and missed four freebies in the final minute-and-change with the game on the line. Imports Jamil Terrell (2-of-9) and Michael Harrison (0-of-7) were the worst offenders.
The Giants committed 18 turnovers to the Hawks eight and were out-scored 20-9 in points off turnovers.
With Jones scoring 11 of his season-high points tally, the Giants took a 68-63 lead into the fourth period, which blew out to 13 points with 7:48 remaining.
Nelson went scoreless for the next four-and-a-half minutes as the hometown Hawks scored the game’s next 15 points. Paora Winitana, who finished with 17 points, hit a three with 1:58 to play to give them breathing space down the stretch.
Hawks guard Aidan Daly recorded 18 points and four assists, while Terrell shot 10-of-13 from the field for 22 points, adding 11 boards.
Dominion Finance NBL Round 15
At Pettigrew.Green Arena, Taradale
Easy LPG Bay Hawks 90 (Paul Henare 23, Aidan Daly 18, Paora Winitana 17, Kareem Johnson 15) CPS Nelson Giants 87 (Phill Jones 40, Jamil Terrell 22, Michael Harrison 10)
1Q: 25-20
HT: 44-40 (19-20)
3Q: 68-73 (24-33)
FT: 90-87 (22-14)
Hawks vs Giants Box Score (20KB html)
