Hawks' star backcourt too much for Phoenix

• Trey Kell and Tyler Harvey both led the scoring for Illawarra with 24 points each
• Derrick Walton Jr had 15 points and 11 assists in his return from injury
• A 32-12 third quarter was the key in Illawarra's win

Trey Kell and Tyler Harvey showed why they were both featured in the All-NBL First Team after a dominant third quarter helped the Illawarra Hawks run over the top of the South East Melbourne Phoenix 101-94 (Game Centre) in Game 1 of the NBL semi-finals at the WIN Entertainment Centre.

The star Hawks backcourt both scored 24 points each, with Kell also grabbing 10 rebounds and dishing out five assists, as Illawarra overcame a halftime deficit to go within one game of the championship series.

Illawarra looked like running away with the game early in the first quarter with the home crowd behind them but the Phoenix settled with defence looking optional for both teams in the opening period.

The second quarter belonged to the visitors though as Derrick Walton Jr took over, looking like he hadn't missed a beat despite spending more than a month on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, and fellow import Joe Wieskamp was giving the Hawks defence all kinds of problems with the Phoenix winning the period 34-23 to go into the main break with a 61-54 advantage.

South East Melbourne scored the first four points out of the break but then Tyler Harvey caught fire, doing his best impression of Chris Goulding the night before, the Hawks sharpshooter hit three triples within 2:30 to give his side the lead and all the momentum.

Kell continued to run the show on the offensive end with some big shots hit by the likes of Todd Blanchfield, meanwhile the Phoenix offense became stagnant as the Hawks' defensive intensity lifted.

The 32-12 third quarter helped the Hawks turn a seven-point halftime deficit into a 13-point lead at three-quarter time.

South East Melbourne's Nathan Sobey did his best to keep his side in the game in the fourth, going on a run of his own but just as the visitors looked as though they could climb back in it, Walton Jr spent several minutes on the sidelines where he appeared to be nursing an injury before returning to the court when the game was all-but done.

While Wieskamp (22 points and seven rebounds), Walton Jr (15 points and 11 assists) and Sobey (17 points) were able to have an impact, Illawarra's defence shut down big man Matt Hurt, who had just 10 points, and Jordan Hunter, keeping him to just seven points and three rebounds.

Blanchfield made a huge impact off the bench for Illawarra with 16 points, including 4-from-9 from the three-point line.

Game 2 is at John Cain Arena on Sunday from 2.30pm AEST (Game Centre).