Emerging 17-year-old guard Luke Paul has relished his first NBL start, but Illawarra spoiled his breakout game with an upset 107-95 road win over Cairns.
The bottom-placed Hawks (4-8) claimed consecutive wins for the first time this season after shooting 60 per cent from the floor at Cairns Convention Centre on Thursday.
Illawarra had five players in double figures, with recruit Makur Maker (24 points, nine rebounds) producing a dynamic performance.
They've started a five-game road trip in fine fashion having previously claimed a 105-98 win in Perth against the Wildcats.
"Extremely pleasing to come out and win a second game in a row," Hawks coach Justin Tatum said.
"We just want to find a way to build momentum and we're trying to do our best job while we're on the road."
Taipans coach Adam Forde made a bold tactical call, inserting Paul into the starting line-up.
It proved an inspired decision with Paul showing poise beyond his years to finish with a career-high 12 points, while Keanu Pinder battled foul trouble to score a team-high 21 points.
"We wanted to try something different, where we got Jaylon (Brown) off the ball, sort of get him going," Forde said.
"Between Luke and Brucey (Shaun Bruce), they really did a good job sharing the role."
Projected as a future NBA lottery pick, Paul is committed to next year playing with American college powerhouse Duke.
It was a tonic for shorthanded Cairns without star recruit Jaylin Goodwin, sidelined for eight weeks with a low-grade spinal compression fracture.
But the Taipans (6-6) have lost consecutive games following on from an error-strewn performance against Melbourne United, a 113-97 defeat that ended a strong stretch where they had won five of six games.
All eyes were on Paul, who nailed a three-pointer from the right corner in the early exchanges as the teams traded baskets from beyond the arc.
Led by Jack McVeigh's hot hand, Cairns threatened to pull away as they shot an astonishing 8-of-10 from deep.
But an unstoppable Tyler Harvey ensured the Hawks only trailed 35-32 at the first break.
Paul continued to live up to the hype early in the second quarter, finishing off a tough drive to the basket after being fouled.
Illawarra hung around thanks to the dynamic Makur, who was hitting from all over the court one day after his 26th birthday.
Having combined to score 123 points in the first half, the teams threatened the record of 249 between Sydney and Townsville in 2016 for most points in the 40-minute era.
But Cairns cooled off after the long break, with the Hawks taking a 87-82 lead into the final quarter.
Will 'Davo' Hickey came up clutch with several big buckets, including a monster dunk, as the Hawks held off their increasingly cold-shooting hosts.