Basketball: Sluggish first quarter costs Hawks victory

Assistant coach George Galanopoulos says it has been the same problem the entire season.

The coaching stable has had a reshuffle but the Hawks found out last night it takes more than that to eke out a result.

It was a case of old habits die hard as the IMS Payroll-sponsored Hawks, under promoted player/coach Poara Winitana, lost 82-70 to the Wellington Saints on the road.

The Jarrod Kenny-skippered side fought tooth and nail for three quarters but a sluggish first spell (26-15) proved costly when it came down to playing catch-up hoop at the TSB Arena in the capital.

"It's been the story of our season - our inability to start as hard as we do during the game," assistant coach George Galanopoulos said last night.

The American said it was imperative the Hawks start the first quarter with as much zest as they finish the game.

"We're beginning to realise the start is just as important as the end," Galanopoulos said after they trailed by a point in the next two quarters but won the final spell by the same margin.

Co-skipper Winitana didn't take the court after the Bay franchise sacked Australian coach Liam Flynn, who was jetting off to Brisbane today, in his first season on Thursday.

Galanopoulos said Winitana was having physiotherapy treatment for an old injury and had decided before the game to give his young charges some rotation and court time.

Suleiman Braimoh scored just two points in 26:38 minutes but the assistant coach said in the Nigerian import's defence that he had been nursing a groin injury for a fortnight.

"Suleiman has been doing all he can to help the team but he's had to slow down," he said of Braimoh who has carved up a rash of double-doubles this season.

Shooting guard Luke Aston top scored with 13 points for the visitors and so did Alonzo Burton with 12 points and Anamata Haku on 11.

Galanopoulos was proud of the effort from his troops after a turbulent week.

"Paora and I are really proud of them. The result wasn't because of a lack of effort."

The Hawks, who are now 4-9, play the Manwatu Jets in Palmerston North today in a 7pm tip off against the hosts who have a similar record but have beaten the visitors twice in Napier in their three-match series.

"We'll be looking back at the tape of our last game and we'll try to figure what kept us out and how we can do things differently in the last four minutes when they ran away with a seven or eight-point lead," Galanopoulos said of the 79-73 victory to the Jets at the PG Arena on Monday.

The Jets have won five of their six matches and their perimeter players Dion Harris, a US import, and Brook Ruscoe will require containment after scoring 51 points between them in Napier.

MATCH STATISTICS

Saints' figures first:

Field goals: 32/68 (47%); 28/66 (42%).

3 pointers: 10/27 (37%); 6/16 (38%).

Free throws: 8/13 (62%); 8/12 (67%).

Rebounds: 35; 34.

Assists: 20; 11.

Steals: 5; 3.

Blocks: 3; 2.

Turnovers: 10/11.

Fouls (fouls on): 15 (12); 13 (15).

Points in the paint: 34; 28.

2nd chance pts: 11; 14.