POST GAME REPORT - hawks
Otago Nuggets 94 def by hawke’s bay 95
26 May 2023
Summary
In a Friday night thriller, the Otago Nuggets have suffered a one-point defeat at the hands of the Hawke’s Bay Hawks.
Taking an early lead, the Nuggets outscored the visitors by 2 points in the first, led by a high scoring Michael Harris who had 9 of his 31 points in the first.
They outscored the Hawks in the second term too, though the two sides were difficult to separate, and the lead sat at just 4 points at the conclusion of the half.
It was the third term that set the tone however with Hawke’s Bay, led by the defensive energy of Hyrum Harris, holding the Nuggets to just 17 points in the term.
After such a tight game, the fourth term did not disappoint. Down by 9 points with 3 minutes to go, the Nuggets put in an incredible fight back to take the lead off of a Robbie Coman tip-in with 11 seconds remaining.
In heartbreaking fashion, an Ira Lee jump shot put the Hawks back in front with two seconds remaining sealing the fate of the game.
Harris had his sixth straight 20+ point game with 31 points, as well as 6 rebounds.
Sam Timmins recorded a 13-point, 10 rebound double-double along with 4 blocks.
Ira Lee was the oppositions best with 24 points and 11 rebounds, including the game winning tip-in.
Player Focus
Todd Withers was phenomenal, with an extremely efficient 25 points on just 11 shots, coming up big down the stretch. He was also strong defensively with 3 steals and a block.
Next Game
The Nuggets will have the week off before a stretch of three straight away games. The first game will come at 5.00pm on the 5th of June in Invercargill, taking on cross town rivals the Southland Sharks.