The Illawarra Hawks have returned to the NBLs winners circle after holding off the Bullets 98-88 in a pulsating contest on Saturday night in Brisbane.The Hawks led at every change at the Brisbane Convention Centre, consolidating second place on the ladder and consigning the Bullets to their third loss in four games.Rotnei Clarke led the scoring for Illawarra with 24 points and three assists, while centre Tom Jervis stood tall for Brisbane with 18 points and seven rebounds.The 10-point loss marks three-straight home defeats for the Bullets who have hit a form slump in recent weeks.There was little separating the NBLs second and third-placed teams during the opening quarter, with both sides playing high-octane basketball, although it was the Hawks who took a four-point lead into the first break.Illawarra skipped out to a 12-point lead early in the second before Brisbane could muster a reply but, when the Bullets clicked into gear, they went on a 23-12 run to end the half only down by one.The start of the second half mirrored the first as both sides traded baskets in end-to-end action with the Hawks edging the Bullets by one point in the third quarter to lead by two heading into the final stretch.Brisbane lost Cameron Bairstow early in the fourth with the former NBA forward fouled out of the contest only seconds into the quarter.An 8-2 run favouring the Hawks to begin the final term didnt help the Bullets cause, but they kept within touching distance inside the dying minutes.The points started to dry up as the clock ticked down with the ferocity of the encounter impacting on accurate shooting.Leading by 10 with less than two minutes remaining, the game was Illawarras to take and they didnt disappoint as they held on to record their eighth win of the season.Luis Cessa Jersey . Hamelin, who triumphed in the 500 on Saturday, edged out Victor An of Russia by 0.021 seconds to maintain his lead in the World Cup standings. Russias Vladimir Grigorev was third. In the relay, Canada took control six laps from the finish line to beat Russia and the Netherlands. Brett Gardner Jersey . - NASCAR announced a 33-race schedule for the 2014 Nationwide Series with virtually no changes from this years slate. http://www.cheapyankeesjerseyschina.com/don-mattingly-jersey/ . Oyama had six birdies and two bogeys at Kintetsu Kashikojima in the event also sanctioned by the Japan LPGA Tour. "I have been having this neck ache thats been affecting my golf recently," Oyama said. Albert Abreu Jersey . -- Claudio Bieler hadnt scored since early September, and not from the run of play since mid-July. Yankees Jerseys Outlet . -- Mike Smith never saw his first NHL goal go in.NEW YORK -- It started off so well for Venus Williams on Monday at the US Open. But then she became engaged in a back-and-forth, down-to-the-wire clash with Karolina Pliskova. Ultimately, the Czech won and reached the quarterfinals.There was no such drama in sister Serenas?fourth-round encounter, however. Heres how the chain of events unfolded on Day 8:As much as well remember this match as one that Venus lost, credit belongs to Pliskova, the tours top ace-maker by a large margin. Pliskova is just a few weeks removed from her first Tier 1 win, in Cincinnati, and now shes on to her first career quarterfinal at any major. Read moreAnd while were not going to eulogize Venus career, we need to recognize what shes doing is largely unprecedented. If she had won, she would have become the oldest player, at 36, to reach a US Open quarterfinal in the Open era.She may not have a lot of years left to play, but Venus Williams deserves to be appreciated in her own right, no matter her family ties.- Jane McManus (@janesports) September 5, 2016Moments after Venus lost, a melancholy Serena walked onto the court, but if her sisters result were a factor then, it certainly was not during the match. Serena beat?Yaroslava Shvedova behind blistering serves and near-perfect play -- and in the process broke yet another record. Move over, Rogeer?Might be wise for Dominic Thiem to take a good, hard look at the Williams sisters career trajectory.ddddddddddddTheyve been playing, and winning, on tour for nearly two decades. Thiem, just 23, is already showing signs of burnout. Against Juan Martin del Potro, a highly anticipated showdown on Arthur Ashe Stadium on Monday, Thiem retired in the second set, citing an injured knee. Too much tennis taking its toll?For del Potro, he becomes the lowest-ranked player at No. 142 to make a US Open quarterfinal since Jimmy Connors famous run 25 years ago in 1991. Still, as exciting and deserving as it was to del Potro, who missed more than two years worth of time with wrist injuries, he could sympathize with Thiem.Its not nice to win this way. Get well soon @ThiemDomi!! pic.twitter.com/QyDKFSFOFA- Juan M. del Potro (@delpotrojuan) September 5, 2016In a very workmanlike effort, Stan Wawrinka also marches into the elite eight. And he did it behind an inordinate amount of winners. ?Look! We have a GOAT sighting. From afar anyway.??Just because @rogerfederer isnt at the #USOpen, that doesnt mean the five-time champion isnt watching...https://t.co/peF1T053t3- ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) September afar anyway.??Just because @rogerfed] Wholesale Basketball JerseysWholesale Baseball Jerseys ' ' '