Tasmania JackJumpers 81 (Clint Steindl 21 points, Jack McVeigh 19 points 6 rebounds )
defeated
Illawarra Hawks 77 (Tyler Harvey 17 points, Justinian Jessup 16 points)
Boxscore
Match Summary
The Illawarra Hawks made it close in the final minutes but it wasn’t enough as the Tasmania JackJumpers extend their winning streak to three, winning 81-77 in Hobart.
Similar to their win against Cairns Friday night, it was Tasmania’s second quarter explosion of three pointers that was the difference in the game. They matched the six second quarter three pointers they hit in Cairns, and extended a one point quarter time to 15 points by the half.
The lead remained in double figures the the majority of the second half, and comfortably led by 17 with just over five minutes to play in the game. But a late 16-2 run by the Hawks, led by Tyler Harvey, Antonious Cleveland and Justinian Jessup saw them pull within a single basket with only 30 seconds to play.
But two clutch baskets by Jack McVeigh in the final moments prevented a final quarter comeback by Illawarra, and sealed the win for the JackJumpers.
https://twitter.com/JackJumpers/status/1502855631099019265Post-game JackJumpers Scott Roth said the quick turnaround from playing in Cairns on Friday night had caught up with the team in the final stages.
“Fatigue started to set in and we got bogged down and the ball wasn’t moving very well and guys were tired. That trip [to Cairns}… on the back end wore us down a little bit.”
But he was thrilled with the teams weekend performance, and improving their record to 10-9.
“They’ve earned the right to be in this type of game, with people looking around the country and wondering if they’re for real or not,” Scott Roth said.
“Our team has earned the right to stick our head above .500 and we’ll see what we do next week, but just a great effort by our guys this weekend.”
Illawarra coach Brian Goorjian was liked his effort in playing the game to the end but was disappointed they couldn’t match it with the JackJumpers throughout the game.
“They play very good in the half court, they run their stuff maybe better than anyone in the competition.
“Tonight, just as far as execution goes and defensive breakdowns, they had us. They moved the ball better than we did, they defended better in the half court than we did.
The loss also hurt the Hawks playoffs ambitions, they remain in 5th place half (11-8) just behind the South East Melbourne Phoenix (11-7), with Tasmania (10-9) now only one game behind the Hawks. The overall playoff picture could be even clearer by next weekend, with Illawarra to play the Phoenix in Wollongong and the JackJumpers in Launceston.
It wasn’t a pretty start for either team in the opening quarter, with both teams committing turnovers and unable to make shots. Cleveland was having no trouble though, scoring seven points as the visitors shot out to a 9-2 lead. But Tasmania scored the next seven to tie it up, and eventually took a 16-15 advantage into the second quarter.
Three quicks triples from Steindl in the opening two minutes opened up a double digit lead for Tasmania. But Illawarra returned with an 8-0 run, including Harvey’s third three pointer for the quarter and a shootout was heating up in Hobart.
https://twitter.com/JackJumpers/status/1502837239453470720But Tasmania scored the final 14 points of the half thanks to some great inside play from McIntosh and Kenyon, to hold a commanding 47-32 halftime lead.
After allowing just under fifty points in the first half, the Hawks came out with a strong defensive effort in the 3rd quarter. They were also finding Duop Reath far more often inside, and had a significant size advantage over Tasmania’s bigs. Illawarra were looking much better, and brought eh lead down to 10 entering the final quarter.
But despite maintaining a double digit lead for all most of the quarter, the last two minutes saw Tasmania almost give away the win. Despite some great late shooting by Jessup and Harvey, they held on by four points.
Key takeaways from the game
Kenyon near double double
Not known as a proficient rebounder, Matt Kenyon took a team high ten rebounds. He also made some great baseline cuts to score driving to the basket, finishing with eight points.
Kenyon finishing Strong in the paint💪
— Tasmania JackJumpers 🐜 (@JackJumpers) March 13, 2022
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Steindl top scoring from the bench
He scoring was relied on much heavier at the start of the season, but Clint Steindl scored 20 off the bench. Showing why he is one of the best 6th men in the NBL, knocking down six threes for the game.
Back above .500
A 10-9 record sees Tasmania with more wins than losses since their opening round win against the Brsibane Bullets.
Next up – The JackJumpers have a key matchup again with the Hawks ti Saturday in Launceston, before emparking on 3 tough road games in 8 days against Adelande Perth and Brisbane.
