A MAGNIFICENT shooting performance from Angus Glover was one of the biggest driving forces in getting the SEM Phoenix to a massive win over the Illawarra Hawks when the two sides locked horns in the National Basketball League (NBL) over the weekend.

The Phoenix hosted last year’s NBL champions at John Cain Arena on Saturday night, with South East Melbourne quietly going about their business in the first month of proceedings in the 2025/26 NBL season. On the other hand, the Hawks have not been able to get going after winning their first title, and needed to get back on the winners’ list.

Although JaVale McGee was dominant in the opening minutes, the Phoenix were able to get on top on the scoreboard in the first quarter, before breaking the game open just before half time to lead by 26 points at the main change. The Hawks simply could not make up any ground in the second half and ended up falling by 40 points in a huge thumping.

Glover produced the best performance of his career off the bench for the Phoenix, reflecting how dominant his team was against the Hawks and moving South East Melbourne into the top four in a strong start.

South East Melbourne Phoenix (116) def. Illawarra Hawks (76)

Angus Glover – 26 points, two rebounds, one steal, one block

Glover was unmatched in his production in the first half, putting the game to bed by the main change in a ridiculous display of shooting and making a massive mark in his 19 minutes of playing time for the entire match.

He was injected into the game at the five-minute mark of the first quarter, with McGee and the Hawks giving the visitors a three-point buffer. However, Glover knocked down back to back triples on consecutive possessions to give the Phoenix the lead in a decisive patch of play that gave his team some momentum.

The guard backed it up with a nice drive into the basket and strong finish at the cup as South East Melbourne began to build a hefty lead, before rounding out the first quarter with his third triple of the term in a huge five-minute burst.

After being subbed out to start the second quarter, Glover was brought back into the match with the Phoenix still in control of the match after his first term heroics. Another two three-pointers in the span of 30 seconds pushed the lead out to 20 points and it was becoming evident he was not slowing down from behind the arc.

Although the Hawks defence put a lot of work into slowing him down from long range in the minutes that followed, Glover again got off the chain to close out the first half. Another pair of three-pointers in a short burst put the exclamation point on a massive 11 minutes of court time from the NBL champion, who simply could not miss from downtown.

Although he could not have the same impact in the second half with Illawarra hounding him both on and off the ball, he was still able to knock down one more three-pointer to reach his career-high in points in a game.

23 of his 26 points came in an explosive first half, as he finished the match shooting 9/14 from the field and an astounding 8/12 shooting from behind the arc. His performance was a key factor in the Phoenix recording a huge win over the Hawks and maintaining their standing as one of the top teams.