Four-time Olympian David Andersen wound back the clock to lead the Illawarra Hawks to Sunday's 81-77 upset of the Perth Wildcats at WIN Entertainment Centre.
Andersen, who has played all over the world and also had a stint in the NBA, poured in a team-high 21 points after being promoted to the starting lineup at the expense of AJ Ogilvy.
Todd Blanchfield added 17 in an unfamiliar bench role, as the Hawks boosted their record to 7-9 to get back in the finals race.
"I was definitely focused for this game. It's always a battle against Perth," Andersen said.
"At my age (38) you try and get the body as well as you can because you know the confidence comes when you hit a shot or two and you get going."
The Wildcats led by 15 in the second quarter but appeared to struggle with fatigue after that as they logged their fourth consecutive loss.
They suffered the same fate in Brisbane on Friday, losing to the Bullets after leading by 14.
"We didn't have that urgency to put fires out," Perth coach Trevor Gleeson said of his team's second-half collapse.
"It's disappointing. We've been in winning positions and we can't put teams away."
Bryce Cotton top-scored for Perth with 21 but was held to just seven in the second half.
Cotton paced his team early and hit a buzzer-beating shot for a 28-18 quarter-time lead.
It was a similar story in the second period, with the visitors controlling the tempo at both ends of the court for a 50-38 half-time lead.
The game changed completely in the second half, as the Hawks knuckled down defensively and grabbed their first lead of the game.
Perth recovered to be ahead 68-66 at three-quarter time but it was anyone's game heading into the deciding period.
Urged on by their home fans, the Hawks out-played the more fancied Cats down the stretch for a valuable win.
The Wildcats (11-6) dropped from first to second on the ladder after Melbourne beat Sydney and play their next game in Cairns on New Year's Eve.
