BOXSCORE

Ayinde Ubaka and the new-look Wollongong Hawks carved out a commanding 90-68 win over the Melbourne Tigers in Wollongong on Friday.

The Hawks built a 20-point buffer in the first half and survived a shaky third quarter to snap a run of seven home losses.

After being out-scored 163-85 in their last seven third periods at the Sandpit, Wollongong escaped the third term 13-16 with the help of their newest recruit.

Ubaka gave his new fans plenty to cheer about on his way to 15 points (8-of-8 free-throws), three steals and three assists, highlighted by sweet dish in the lane to Joevan Catron in his first stint.

''That was pretty weird, being with those guys last week and having to play against them,'' Ubaka said.

''You spend so many months together, you bond and make friends, it was tough playing against them.''

Mat Campbell produced a vintage outing with 17 points, including four three-pointers, while Glen Saville added 13 points and nine boards.

Forward Liam Rush poured in 18 points (4-of-6 three-pointers) and Myron Allen impressed with 17 points, nine rebounds and six assists for the Tigers, who slumped to their sixth straight loss.

''They're (Melbourne) under a lot of pressure right now … I don't think it's a comfortable situation for anybody, the coaches or the players,'' Ubaka said.

''As a professional you've got to keep going, things like that are going to happen, but when you step onto the court you forget about it and just play.''

Wollongong got off to a dream start as Campbell streaked to the hoop for a three-point play off the initial jump-ball.

The Hawks captain continued to roll, draining a pair of triples as the Hawks ran away with a 31-16 first quarter.

An early 8-0 spurt in the second extended the Hawks' lead to 20. Allen and Rush rallied for the Tigers, but a 10-3 Wollongong flurry capped by Tim Coenraad's jumper produced a 56-36 half-time advantage.

Melbourne notched the first six points of the third to momentarily silence the crowd, but the Hawks faithful let out a sigh of relief when Larry Davidson stroked a three from the top of the key.

Both teams then struggled to find baskets until Catron broke the stalemate to keep Wollongong afloat at 69-52 with 10 minutes to play.

The Tigers threatened early in the fourth, but a string threes by Oscar Forman, Glen Saville, Campbell and Ubaka secured the Hawks’ second home win of the season.

''It was a pretty disappointing effort,'' Tigers coach Trevor Gleeson said.

''I'm really finding out the characteristic of this team when we're challenged and when we go through adversity, who steps up and who hides away.

''We're going through a fair bit of pain at the moment and we've got to find guys that are willing to step up and right now I'm searching for those guys.''

Wollongong Hawks 90 (Campbell 17, Ubaka 15, Saville 13)
Melbourne Tigers 68 (Rush 18, Allen 17, Dorsey 12)

Crowd: 3456 at WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong