Harvey fires as Scott Roth rues another injury

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Play-In bound JackJumpers head coach Scott Roth was right – "We didn’t do anything very well. We didn’t shoot the ball very well. We didn’t play defence very well" – as the defending NBL champions Illawarra demolished Tasmania 103-70 in the last NBL26 regular season game for both clubs in Hobart on Wednesday, February 18, 2026.

"I guess the only benefit really for me out of that was that those young kids got to play about 13 or 14 minutes and try to get them in some kind of rhythm because we’ll obviously need them with only six roster players that are available to actually play," Roth said.

"Now (Nicholas) Stoddard’s gone down with an ankle, and we’ll see how that goes, so we might be down to nine. It is what it is. We have five players that are sitting out that are pretty good, and we won’t see them again this year.

"I anticipate our guys will be much better in a few days off and some rest, and get ready to go again."

The JackJumpers finished the regular season 14-19 and without Will Magnay (toe), Ben Ayre (osteitis pubis), Bryce Hamilton (knee) and Sean Macdonald (knee).

"We have to figure out who’s healthy and then figure out what’s the best mode for us – training on the floor or doing conditioning, at the beach or the oval or running – and try to just maintain some conditioning over these 10 days," Roth added.

"Then obviously get on the court and not beat us up so bad that we end up getting another injury of some sort.

"It’s a very delicate balance of what we’ll try to do. We’ll try to stay as sharp as we can but I think we’re just going to take it day by day.

"We’re going to get these two days off, then we have our banquet on Saturday night, and we’ll have some celebration there.

"We’ll practice Saturday and Sunday, but we’ll get back to work in the office and try to figure out what’s next."

This time last year, the Hawks were rolling into the Finals at the top of the ladder. Their title defence failed to launch in NBL26, finishing at 13-20 after enduring an injury-riddled season and roster instability.

"It’s pretty strange," Hawks head coach Justin Tatum said about Illawarra missing the playoffs.

"But we play this game to win games and lose them. We do our best to try to be great every year. Unfortunately, we just came up a couple of games short this year.

"Like I told my guys in the locker room, I had an enjoyable season. I love everybody in that locker room, had a great time, and they showed true professionalism every day. Our fans stood up and stayed out for us, showing up through the week, coming in and supporting us at home games, and always believing in it.

"It wasn’t the season that we wanted, but I’m fine with the way we won the last two games.

"I’m extremely proud of how the guys said, 'Hey, we’re going on these two road games and giving it the best we’ve got'.

"That’s all you ask out of guys.

"A healthy locker room – this is how healthy we’ve been all year. When we’re healthy, we’re very competitive. I was proud of the guys on that end."

Key Details

• Result: Illawarra Hawks 103 def. Tasmania JackJumpers 70
• When: Wednesday, 18th February 2026
• Where: MyState Bank Arena, Hobart
• Attendance: 4,340
• Standings

By the Numbers

• Tyler Harvey (Illawarra Hawks) starred with 21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists in 29 minutes.
• Josh Bannan (Tasmania JackJumpers) scored 17 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist in 24 minutes.

What Happened

The Hawks established their dominance early, taking control with a 26-18 first quarter before extending their advantage to 54-34 at half-time. They maintained their stranglehold throughout the contest, outscoring Tasmania 27-17 in the third quarter and adding 22 points in the final period to complete the comprehensive 33-point victory.

The turning point came midway through the second quarter when Illawarra unleashed a devastating 9-0 run, highlighted by triples from Wani Swaka Lo Buluk and Harvey. The Hawks closed the first half with another 9-0 burst, effectively putting the contest beyond doubt before the main break. Mason Peatling's three-pointer late in the third quarter exemplified the Hawks' control, pushing their lead to 30 points.

Harvey was on fire from downtown, connecting on 6-of-10 attempts from beyond the arc in an exceptional shooting display. His 60% field goal percentage anchored Illawarra's offensive explosion. QJ Peterson complemented Harvey perfectly with 20 points on efficient 50% shooting, including 3-of-6 from deep. JaVale McGee dominated the paint with a double-double performance of 15 points and 10 rebounds, adding two crucial swats to showcase his rim protection ability.

The Hawks' superior shooting proved decisive throughout the contest. Illawarra connected on 35-of-81 field goal attempts (43%) while holding Tasmania to a dismal 22-of-69 shooting (32%). From beyond the arc, the disparity was even more pronounced – the Hawks drained 13 three-pointers compared to Tasmania's poor 3-of-24 performance from downtown. This 42% versus 13% split from deep highlighted the gulf between the teams on this night.

For Tasmania, despite qualifying for finals, key injuries to Will Magnay, Ben Ayre, Bryce Hamilton and Sean Macdonald severely hampered their depth. Josh Bannan and Tyger Campbell both finished with 17 points each, but the rest of the roster struggled to find offensive rhythm. The JackJumpers managed just nine assists as a team compared to Illawarra's 21, indicating their difficulty in creating quality scoring opportunities.

This victory allowed the defending champions to finish their disappointing campaign on a positive note at 13-20, though their title defence officially ended weeks ago. The JackJumpers, despite the heavy defeat, secured sixth position and will enter the Play-In Qualifier, most likely facing Melbourne United on the road in their cut-throat finals opener.