'Microwave' Cotton unplugged in blow-out

• Trey Kell III scored a career-high 31 points
• Bryce Cotton scoreless for the final three quarters
• Hawks improved to 11-5, maintaining their position at the top of the NBL standings

The Illawarra Hawks unplugged "microwave" Bryce Cotton, hammering the Perth Wildcats by 32 points in a thoroughly dominant 120-88 home win (Game Centre) on Sunday, December 22, 2024 in Illawarra.

But it didn't look that way early with Cotton dropping 13 points in the first quarter, following an all-time NBL scoring tear. Cotton had score more than 40 four straight times coming into this.

Hawks’ defense and Wani Swaka Lo Buluk entered the chat. The four-time MVP went scoreless for the remainder of the game. Cotton finished with 13 points on 5-from-16 shooting as the Wildcats struggled to score the ball.

Playing at the WIN Entertainment Centre in their festive Christmas jerseys, the Hawks went off. They've been averaging 109 points over their last four games and this time, they dismantled the Wildcats with a potent mix of scoring, defense, and hustle.

Hawks head coach Justin Tatum was full of praise for his team's effort on the defense side of the ball.

"To hold somebody as exceptionally great offensively as Bryce is, it's kudos to the team," Tatum said.

"We know that Bryce is like a microwave, he's cooking right now. And it's great to see as a fan. But when we're playing against him, we want to make everything difficult."

The Hawks are top of the ladder at 11-5 with three games in hand against second-placed 12-7 Melbourne United.

Hawks Offense on Full Display

The Hawks set the tone early, scoring 37 first-quarter points and leading 63-48 by halftime, their highest-scoring first half of the season.

Trey Kell III was unstoppable, pouring in a career-high 31 points along with five rebounds and five assists.

Tyler Harvey added 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists, while Sam Froling dominated inside with 18 points and six boards.

The Hawks' relentless effort on the glass and in transition paid dividends. They grabbed 20 offensive rebounds, converting them into 29 second-chance points, and capitalised on 17 Perth turnovers for 22 points. Illawarra shot 54% from the field and added 13 triples to seal the convincing win.

Wildcats Struggle in Tough Road Stretch

The Wildcats, now 10-9, are in the midst of a gruelling stretch of seven consecutive road games. Missing key contributors Kristian Doolittle and Tai Webster, they struggled to keep up despite Keanu Pinder's 16 points and solid bench performances from Elijah Pepper (11 points) and Michael Harris (11 points in 10 minutes).

Head coach John Rillie: "The easy answer is it's a blip. We looked at this as a great challenge to see where we are at the moment, and we came up very short today.

"That's a very good reminder in this league that if you get a little ahead of yourself or you think things are going too good, you get smacked in the mouth like that."

Looking Ahead

The Hawks, riding a three-game win streak, will face their next challenge in a highly-anticipated Christmas night showdown against the Sydney Kings (Game Centre) at Qudos Bank Arena. Meanwhile, the Wildcats remain on the road, looking to bounce back against the Adelaide 36ers (Game Centre) on Saturday, December 28, 2024.