AFTER missing most of last season through injury, Illawarra Hawks import Justin Robinson exploded back onto the NBL scene with a statement performance in his side’s Round 2 win over SEM Phoenix.

Having sustained a loss in the opening week of play, the Hawks were looking to bounce back, but came up against a Phoenix side with plenty of fire power. With the game taking place at WIN Entertainment Centre, Illawarra looked to draw on home court advantage and take away the Phoenix’s scoring power.

The Hawks could not contain the scoring output of the opposition over the course of the match, but did a terrific job at matching it on the offensive end. Given the Phoenix have a number of potent scoring weapons, Illawarra would need significant performances from a number of players, and that is exactly what happened.

In a high-scoring affair, each side had their patches of offensive dominance, as baskets flowed in an entertaining contest. Heading into the last quarter, the Hawks led by two points, and countered every blow from the Phoenix to hold on for a stirring seven-point win.

As mentioned above, the Phoenix needed a big performance from their key players to defeat the Phoenix, and Robinson answered the call.

Illawarra Hawks (113) def. SEM Phoenix (106)

Justin Robinson – 26 points, five rebounds, seven assists, two steals, one block

Robinson established himself as one to watch this season with a match-winning performance against the Phoenix on Saturday.

In front of a vocal Illawarra crowd, Robinson took control of the team’s offence and looked a threat every time he had the ball. He finished with a team-high 26 points, doing most of his damage inside the arc, although Robinson did try his hand at long-range shooting.

He shot 9/18 for the match, with seven of those makes coming from two-point territory. Robinson’s ability to drive inside and expose South East Melbourne’s lack of height without Tyler Cook or Alan Williams in the front court.

He was relentless on his drives into the lane, doing so late in the game when the match was on the line, attacking the lane and producing some strong finishes in the dying minutes.

Robinson was also a magnificent contributor on the playmaking front, finding the likes of Tyler Harvey (20 points) and Sam Froling (17 points) on the drive. Although he had free reign to keep shooting the ball himself, Robinson chose to find the best look for the team overall.

It was as strong a return as the Hawks could have asked for from Robinson, who justified the hype surrounding his resumption with the team this season.