THE match between Illawarra and Cairns rewrote history on the stat sheet, with the Hawks breaking the Cairns hoodoo and the Taipans diving head-first into a hoodoo of their own. In terms of individuals, Todd Blanchfield had a career-best performance, Damian Martin is proving to give opposition headaches while Andrew Bogut and Josh Boone lead the way for the big men after Round 2.

Illawarra wins first game in Cairns after eight consecutive losses

The Hawks ended their losing streak against Cairns with a 104-93 win on Saturday. Illawarra has not won a game against the Taipans in Cairns for eight consecutive games, but has finally got a win on the board.

Cairns lose first opening home match since 2000

Prior to their 11-point loss against the Hawks on Saturday, the Taipans had not lost an opening game at home since 2000. In that match, Cairns lost to the West Sydney Razorbacks.

Todd Blanchfield scores career-high 32 points

Illawarra forward, Todd Blanchfield scored a career-high 32 points in the game against Cairns, which proved to be a match that rewrote the record books. The 27 year-old’s 32 points came from seven medium-range baskets and 11-18 from the field.

Damian Martin averaging most steals per game

Perth’s Damian Martin is leading the way in steals, with an average of 2.3 per game. Closely following is trio, Kevin White, DJ Newbill and Kevin Lisch, who are all averaging two steals per game. Martin has had three steals in two of three games for the Wildcats.

Bogut and Boone tied on rebounds and blocks

Sydney Kings star recruit, Andrew Bogut and Melbourne United championship player, Josh Boone both lead the way for the big men in terms of rebounds and blocks. The duo both average 11.6 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game. Bogut has racked up double figures in rebounds in two out of three games, as has Boone. Out of the two centres, Boone has had the highest rebounds (16) and blocks (five) in a game so far, but Bogut is not trailing far behind, with 15 rebounds and four blocks against Adelaide.