Wollongong guard Matt Campbell's determination to win a recall to the Australian Boomers team proved costly for the New Zealand Breakers in the NBL clash at the Sandpit.

The Hawks exposed the Breakers to the harsh realities of NBL basketball in their second week in the competition, scoring a crushing 108-78 victory.

Campbell was the undisputed star, scoring a career-high 32 points in a shooting display that the Breakers were powerless to stop.

He mesmerised New Zealand from outside the three-point arc, hitting eight of his 11 attempts, as he passed his previous best of six, as his career records tumbled.

He was also spurred on by his omission from the Australian team for the recent series against the Kiwis, punishing New Zealand's starting guard Phil Jones.

With Campbell's renowned defensive prowess hounding him all night, the Breakers star was a non-entity when his team needed him the most, failing to hit any of his eight shots.

"I want to be back in the Australian team, there's no question of that and this was an opportunity to play against a number of the players I had to sit and watch," Campbell said.

"Jones was starting for the Kiwis, and he was someone who really got my motivation high for this clash."

Apart from the opening basket of the game, the Breakers, who were playing without injured centre Ben Melmeth, struggled for highlights for the next 48 minutes.

They trailed 30-18 after the first quarter and by halftime there was no coming back, behind 58-35.

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