Basketball: Hawks struggle in Nelson as Giants rise for Mika Vukona farewell

Hawks players Hyrum Harris and Ethan Rushbatch surround the Giants' Matur Maker as they vie for rebounding position during their clash in Nelson. Photo / Chris Symes - Photosport

The Taylor Bay Hawks slipped another rung down the Sal’s NBL men’s basketball ladder when beaten 100-91 without ever taking the lead in Nelson on Friday night.

The only thing that see-sawed was the margin, never less than 5 points from when it was 11-6 to the home side going into the fifth minute and stretching as wide as 17 points as the Giants led 59-42 at one stage in the third quarter, ironically the only quarter in which the Hawks dominated the Giants, with a 28-25 advantage during the 10 minutes on the board.

The Giants led 25-18 at the end of the first quarter, 49-40 at halftime and 74-68 with 10 minutes to play, ultimately inflicting the Hawks’ ninth loss in 14 matches. That’s more losses than any other team, with four matches remaining - all at home in the Pettigrew Green Arena in Taradale, where the Hawks are yet to win this season.

Targets for the Hawks’ redemption are the Otago Nuggets next Saturday (June 24), Wellington Saints on July 1, Auckland Tuatara on July 9, and Manawatu Jets on July 15.

Each side had three players hit 20 points or more from the Trafalgar Centre floor, with American import Ira Lee top-scoring with 24, on the back of a game-high 32 in last weekend’s one-point loss to Franklin Bulls in PGA, Hyrum Harris shot 22 and Ethan Rustbatch 20.

Matur Maker shot 26 for the Giants and Samuel Dempster 24, which included five three-pointers from seven attempts.

A feature of the match was the introduction of young American guard Bryce McBride, who at the age of 23 was signed during the week to play out the rest of the season for the Hawks. Less than 48 hours after arriving in New Zealand he played almost 14 minutes and scored 3 points.

It was the third time in a row the Hawks had conceded 100 points since their last win, a win by 19 points over the Southland Sharks in Invercargill on May 28.

For the Giants, who have had eight losses this season, it was an emotional win as their club retired the number 14 of Giants stalwart Mika Vukona, who played more than 20 years of professional ball across Australasia, winning five Australian NBL titles, four of them for the New Zealand Breakers, and claimed a New Zealand NBL title in 2007 when the Giants beat the Hawks in the final.