HBS Bank Hawks defeat Auckland 82 to 80 and other Round two results
Paul Henare's Hawks confirmed they're the team to beat in this year's New Zealand NBL with a meritorious, if nervy, 82-80 victory over the Auckland Pirates.
The Hawks, now 2-0, inflicted the first defeat on the Pirates after the Aucklanders had opened the season with two wins last weekend.
The Hawks led all the way, holding the advantage at the end of every quarter, but could never shake loose their hosts who took the game right down to the wire and had a chance to steal the game with a last-second three-pointer from Hayden Allen.
But the low-percentage shot floated wide and the Hawks escaped with a win they probably deserved on the balance of an evenly contested game
The Hawks were led by veteran Paora Winitana who had 18 points and four boards to balance out 11 turnovers, while import Kareen Johnson had a big game with 17 points and 12 boards.
Seventeen-year-old rookie Alonzo Burton also chipped in with 13 crucial points off the bench in just 16 minutes, going four-for-five from beyond the arc.
The Pirates got significant contributions from the experienced Allen (22 points and seven boards) and Lindsay Tait (20 points and seven assists), while import Ismail Muhammad had 11 points and eight boards but was a woeful two-of-eight from the line.
Free-throws hurt the Pirates as they went just 14-of-24 for the night, and two big misses down the stretch from Daryl Cartwright were particularly costly.
Auckland Pirates 80 (Hayden Allen 22, Lindsay Tait 20, Ismail Muhammad 11)
Hawke's Bay Hawks 82 (Paora Winitana 18, Kareem Johnson 17, Alonzo Burton 13, Jarrod Kenny 12).
1Q: 26-22; HT: 46-35; 3Q: 65-61.
|
Player |
Min |
REB |
PTS |
|
Jarrod. Kenny |
31:37 |
4 |
12 |
|
Paora. Winitana |
34:14 |
4 |
18 |
|
Alonzo. Burton |
16:10 |
3 |
13 |
|
Morgan. Natanahira |
18:15 |
4 |
7 |
|
Aidan. Daly |
20:46 |
1 |
2 |
|
Ben. Hill |
12:03 |
3 |
0 |
|
Galen. Young |
18:30 |
5 |
7 |
|
Kareem. Johnson |
31:12 |
12 |
17 |
|
Ezra. Nikora |
00:00 |
0 |
0 |
|
Damon. Davies |
17:13 |
1 |
6 |
Round two
Friday, March 9
At Edgar Centre, Dunedin
OceanaGold Nuggets 94 (Antoine Tisby 28, Akeem Wright 25, Mark Dickel 23) Wellington Saints 110 (Anthony Gurley 27, Casey Frank, Jason Crowe 22), Final
Referees – Raewyn Willocks, Sean Cronin, Gareth Tehan
1Q: 21-31
HT: 44-53 (23-22)
3Q: 70-83 (26-30)
FT: 94-110 (24-27)
Fiba Live Stats
Nuggets v Saints Box Score
At TSB Stadium, New Plymouth
The Good Home Taranaki Mountain Airs 94 (Darryl Hudson 28, Jack Leasure 22, Chris Daniel 10) Zero Fees Southland Sharks 77 (Larry Abney 22, Kevin Braswell 16), Final
Referees- Gavin Whiu, Kelly McLeod, Kieran Udy
1Q: 23-23
HT: 50-30 (27-7)
3Q: 70-54 (20-24)
FT: 94-77 (24-23)
Fiba Live Stats
Airs v Sharks Box Score
At Trafalgar Centre, Nelson
Fico Finance Nelson Giants 90 (Pete Campbell 26, Phill Jones 15, Sam Dempster 12, Gareth Dawson 12) LZ Harbour Heat 83 Justin Bailey 20, Zack Atkinson 19, Reuben Te Rangi 15), Final
Saturday, March 10
At Arena Manawatu, Palmerston North
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