The explosive feud between Adelaide's Charles Thomas and Wollongong coach Brendan Joyce was taken to another level following the 36ers' stunning 113-101 victory at The Sandpit.

The 36ers left the Hawks shaking their heads in disbelief after they were outscored 60-36 in the second half, after leading comfortably 65-53 at halftime.

The win was sweetest for Thomas, who left the Hawks at the end of last season in a blaze of controversy.

Accused of negotiating with other clubs while still contracted to Wollongong, and subsequently sacked, Thomas was in the mood for revenge in his first return to his former home court.

He delivered out on the floor for the 36ers, finishing with 21 points and six assists, but it turned ugly once the win was secured.

Thomas approached Joyce to shake hands but was quickly rejected by his former coach.

He was then heavily jeered by the home crowd and proceeded to walk the length of the court, pointing to the scoreboard and stirring up the fans.

"I thought that we're both bigger men than what was displayed, but he said to me that I don't shake hands with two-faced people," Thomas said.

"It really annoyed me because I was being big enough to go and say let bygones be bygones.

"Brendan's actions are why the crowd booed me, so I'm washing my hands of him and he's given me closure tonight.

"It's a shame how quickly people forget what I did for the team just two years ago, the way I was booed."

Joyce did little to downplay the bad blood between the two.

"I don't have to shake anybody's hand if I think they're two-faced," Joyce said.

"It's been well addressed what he did to the club, and I'm not going to pretend that I like him.

"It's disappointing that he came up to shake my hand after he won because I didn't see it when we beat them and he was basically trying to rub it in."

Wollongong dominated the first half to take a 12-point advantage into the main break but Adelaide made it clear straight away that they were a different team in the second half.

The 36ers opened the third quarter with a 12-2 run to trail by just two, then turned to an unlikely scoring option to hit the lead.

Swingman Jacob Holmes came off the bench to score 11 points, including a lay-up with just seconds left, to put Adelaide in front for the first time in the game, 82-80.

Taking the momentum from Holmes, Martin Cattalini exploded in the last quarter, hitting 12 of his game-high 27 points as the 36ers lead continued to expand.

After shooting just 42 per cent in the first half, Adelaide were transformed in the second to hit 59 per cent of their shots, while the Hawks plummeted from 53 per cent to a miserable 30 per cent.

"It was a good test of character for our group and in the end it was a pretty complete effort defensively that got it done," Adelaide coach Phil Smyth said.

"For us, it's a sign that we're heading in the right direction and we just need to now get consistent with it."

Adelaide guard Brett Maher completed the 36ers' scoring triple punch, finishing with 26 points, while Cortez Groves finished with a typically spectacular 26 points to lead the Hawks.

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