Wollongong survived a blistering Kings fightback to score a 77-68 win in Sydney on Saturday night.
Hawks import point guard Ayinde Ubaka's back-to-back three-pointers midway through the final quarter, after the Kings had cut the Hawks' 16-point lead to two, were decisive.
It had been a quiet night for Ubaka until that point, with Joevan Catron (15 points) and Rhys Martin (12 points) stepping up for the away side.
The home side, though, will see this game as an opportunity missed.
The Kings appeared set to run over the top of Wollongong after their 7-0 surge reduced their deficit to just a basket late in the fourth quarter, but had no answer once Ubaka struck.
The home side's young gun Anatoly Bose (21 points) was inspirational throughout and was the early catalyst in a blistering opening.
The Kings led by as many as 13 points early in the game, with Ben Madgen and Jerai Grant dominating.
The Hawks were in a daze early, shooting just 26 per cent in the first quarter as the Kings dominated at both ends of the court.
A seven-point run from the Hawks to start the second quarter changed the landscape of the game and sparked the Hawks' three-point shooting into life, with back-to-back triples from Oscar Forman and Mat Campbell stunning.
And where the Kings dominated the rebounds in the first quarter, the Hawks were beginning to flex their muscles under the glass soon after.
When Ubaka's first points of the game early in the third quarter gave the Hawks a handy 14-point lead, the home side's task became a lot tougher.
Despite their sensational final-quarter run that brought the 7,282-strong crowd to life, the gap proved a bridge too far and the Hawks held on.
AAP
Tags: nbl, basketball, sport, sydney-2000, wollongong-2500, nsw, australia First posted March 24, 2012 23:26:04
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