Hawks swoop late to stop Taipans

Kenfrost Homes Cairns Taipans have fallen to their second home loss of the season, going down 107-95 to the Illawarra Hawks at the Cairns Convention Centre on Thursday night.

The Hawks made all the big plays down the stretch, outscoring the home side 46-33 after half-time for the 12-point success.

Makur Maker led all scorers with 24 points, to go with nine rebounds, while Tyler Harvey and Kelan Martin both added 19 points and Milton Doyle 18 points.

Keanu Pinder was a standout for the home side, scoring a team-high 21 points to go with eight rebounds, while Jack McVeigh added 20 points to go with seven assists.

Jaylon Brown had 14 points to go with five assists and Malique Lewis almost recorded a triple double with eight points, eight rebounds and six assists.

Lewis and McVeigh had back-to-back threes for an early 8-4 lead, but the Hawks’ offense kicked into gear, the visitors hitting seven of their first nine shots for a 23-19 lead.

Cairns fought back through the three-point line, swishing seven of the first eight triples as the home side went on an 11-0 run to take a 35-32 lead into quarter time.

Both teams cooled off as the Hawks got back into the contest, two free throws from Maker giving Illawarra a 48-46 lead.

Pinder stepped up in the second quarter, attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line as the home side took a 62-61 lead into the main break.

But Illawarra gained control of the contest in the back half of the third quarter, overcoming a six-point Cairns lead to take a five-point advantage into the final quarter and never relinquished control of the game.

PAUL STARTS TO GROW

Next Star Luke Paul made his first professional start, and made an instant impact, soaring for the opening rebound.

Paul then grabbed an offensive rebound on the very next play, before swishing a corner three and converting a tough three-point play after a strong take down the lane.

What was just as impressive was his defensive transition, especially after some missed opportunities, which turned into fast break chances back the other way.

The Duke-commit point guard started the third quarter in a flurry, swishing another three-pointer and converting a three-point play to finish with 12 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.

OPENING TRIPLE TREAT

It was an outside shooting masterclass in the opening 10 minutes from both sides in a high-scoring affair.

There were 13 three-pointers in the first quarter, from only 16 attempts, with Cairns, who lead the league with just under 13 per game, connecting on eight triples.

McVeigh and Harvey both had three each and it was only fitting that the hot shooting quarter ended with Harvey connect from deep on the buzzer.

In Cairns’ 110-100 win on October 11 these two sides had the most combined three-point made shots for the season with 29, the Taipans hitting 18 compared to the Hawks who had 11 from beyond the arc.

The Taipans cooled off considerably, connecting on just four of their next 23 attempts from the three-point line and were restricted to 33 second half points, after scoring 35 in the opening quarter.

MAKER IS MAKING HIS WAY

Maker was a huge factor, especially at the offensive end, as he kept the scoreboard ticking over in the opening half.

The 26-year-old scored 18 points in the opening half on the way to 24 points on the night, to go with nine rebounds and two blocks.

Maker, who was part of the Syndey Kings’ NBL22 championship team, has been a revelation for Illawarra since joining the Hawks early in the campaign.

The 208cm big man caused concerns for the Taipans not only under the hoop, but also in the perimeter, connecting on two triples, and his jump shot late in the final quarter sealed the result.

WHAT’S NEXT

The Taipans now head West on Sunday for a Sunday afternoon battle against Perth Wildcats at RAC Arena.

Catch all the action live and on demand on ESPN.
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ILLAWARRA HAWKS 107 (Maker 24, Martin 19, Harvey 19, Doyle 18) def CAIRNS TAIPANS 95 (Pinder 21, J McVeigh 20, J Brown 14, Paul 12) at the Cairns Convention Centre.

BOX SCORE