Hawks too strong for 36ers

The Illawarra Hawks turned up the defensive heat when it mattered most to claim a 106-95 NBL triumph over the Adelaide 36ers on Friday night at WIN Entertainment Centre.

The 36ers' playoff hopes are now hanging by a thread, and they'll need to beat Perth on Sunday night and rely on Melbourne United to conquer New Zealand on Sunday afternoon.

The Hawks held a slender lead late in the third quarter before clicking on all cylinders in the final period and running away with their 17th win of the season.

After finishing with just six wins last season, Illawarra's victory also created history as the club's greatest 12-month turnaround.

Hawks centre AJ Ogilvy tallied team-highs of 17 points and 11 rebounds, American guard Kevin Lisch had 16 points, while guards Jarrad Weeks and Rhys Martin combined for 28 off the bench.

"We go 10-deep and it's a good momentum win for the playoffs," Martin said.

Daniel Johnson led Adelaide with 20 points and NBL leading scorer Jerome Randle finished with 15.

Randle's night ended prematurely when he was ejected after picking up a second unsportsmanlike foul.

The Hawks will lock horns with the Perth Wildcats in a best-of-three semi-final series which tips off next Friday in Perth.

Game two is scheduled for Illawarra's home court next Sunday, while game three if required will be played in Perth.