William Hickey has missed a crucial late free throw as the Adelaide 36ers held on for a thrilling 90-88 NBL win over the Illawarra Hawks at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.
In a topsy-turvy finish to Sunday's match, the Hawks trailed by as much as eight points late in the third quarter before producing a strong finish to close the margin to one with a minute to go.
When 36ers superstar Bryce Cotton made only one of his two free-throws with 6.4 seconds remaining, it meant Illawarra trailed by just two points with the chance to either win or tie the game.
Hickey didn't have the chance to fire off what could have been a match-winning three-pointer, but a foul sent him to the line for two free throws with just 1.6 seconds remaining.
The 26-year-old missed his first shot, and then purposely missed his second shot in the hope his team could get the rebound - only for the ball to deflect out of reach of desperate Hawks players.
Hickey had been huge up until that moment, finishing with 20 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and four blocks to almost drag his team over the line.
Illawarra centre JaVale McGee (17 points, 11 rebounds) and Mason Peatling (12 points, six rebounds, three assists) also played important roles
Cotton finished with 24 points and nine assists in front of 9983 fans, while Dejan Vasiljevic (16 points), Zylan Cheatham (13 points, 13 rebounds) and Isaac Humphries (12 points, seven rebounds) were also crucial for Adelaide.
The win improved Adelaide's record to 6-2, and it was a great way to bounce back from last week's heartbreaking 81-80 loss to Melbourne United.
"We were in the same position a week ago. This time we got the win," Cotton told Fox Sports after the match.
"I wish I would have made some more free throws, but that was a hell of a job.
"This was a big team effort, and that's what it takes to win games."
The Hawks came in nursing a 2-5 record and desperate to bounce back from Friday night's 102-60 loss to New Zealand - the largest home defeat in Illawarra's proud history.
Cotton scored seven points in the opening term - including a late three-pointer - as Adelaide went to quarter-time with a 21-19 edge.
Hawks forward Jonah Bolden limped off in the second quarter with what appeared to be a left groin injury, ending his night.
Scores were locked at 41-apiece at halftime, but the Hawks finally caught fire from long range to open an eight-point lead midway through the third quarter.
Adelaide hit back with their own three-point barrage - including two to Cotton - as the home side went on a 22-6 run to build an eight-point lead late in the third.
Scoring dried up for the 36ers in the last term, and the pressure was so hot that even the ever-reliable Cotton missed a pair of free throws at one point, before Adelaide did enough to hold on.