NBL Hawks aim to end Perth horror show
The Illawarra Hawks are aiming to crash through the 100-point barrier in an attempt to end their horror Perth hoodoo in Friday night's NBL semi-final against the Wildcats.
The Hawks will start the best-of-three series as clear underdogs after losing all four of their matches against Perth this season.
Even more worrying has been their record in Perth, with Illawarra losing their past 22 games there - the worst losing streak at a particular city in NBL history.
Hawks coach Rob Beveridge knows first-hand how tough it is to win in Perth after coaching the Wildcats for four seasons - with his time there yielding the 2009/10 Championship.
But he's not about to wave the white flag heading into Friday's grudge match at Perth Arena.
Instead, Beveridge is banking on his high-scoring outfit to stun the Wildcats in the series opener.
Illawarra led the league in scoring this season, averaging 94.2 points per game.
Beveridge wants his team to step it up even more in a bid to finally end their Perth losing streak.
"We've got to go out and try and score 100 points against them," Beveridge said.
"We want to get up and down and try and play our style of game.
"I think if we get into a half-court game against Perth in Perth, we simply can't beat them."
The last time Illawarra visited Perth Arena, they copped a 95-72 thrashing.
The Hawks were without star shooter Kirk Penney on that occasion, while newly-crowned MVP Kevin Lisch was restricted to just 14 points.
When asked about his team's horror record in Perth, Beveridge replied: "I don't care. I find out all this information from you guys (in the media). I don't go searching for it."
The Wildcats are confident star centre Nate Jawai (back) and fellow big man Matt Knight (shoulder) will be fit for game one.
Game two will be played in Wollongong on Sunday, with game three scheduled for Friday week if required.
The winner of the series will take on either Melbourne United or New Zealand in the grand final.
LONGEST ROAD LOSING STREAKS IN THE NBL
*22 - Illawarra at Perth (current)
*16 - Illawarra at Perth (1987-2000)
*16 - Cairns at Melbourne Tigers (1999-2009)
*15 - Canberra at Perth (1991-2003)
*15 - Illawarra at Adelaide (1991-2001)
PERTH WILDCATS VS ILLAWARRA HAWKS HEAD-TO-HEAD
*Overall: Wildcats 72, Hawks 33
*In Perth: Wildcats 47, Hawks 6
*In Wollongong: Hawks 27, Wildcats 25
THIS SEASON
*Rd 3 - Wildcats 106 bt Hawks 99 in Wollongong
*Rd 4 - Wildcats 91 bt Hawks 62 in Perth
*Rd 6 - Wildcats 99 bt Hawks 96 in Wollongong
*Rd 16 - Wildcats 95 bt Hawks 72 in Perth
