Australia’s Hugh Greenwood has hit back the lowest of Twitter trolls. Source: AFP

Greenwood scored 22 points, including six three pointers and dunked for the first time in years in New Mexico’s 71-69 win over the University of Nevada Las Vegas this week.

Greenwood’s mother, Andree, remains in Hobart with terminal secondary breast cancer, which has spread to her lungs, but that didn’t stop the lowest form of Twitter troll using it as a topic of abuse.

Greenwood used a post-match television interview with CBS Sports Network to state his motivation for his big performance and to slap down the nameless Twitter abuser.

“Actually, it was a man on Twitter. I’m not going to shout him out, he doesn’t deserve to,” Greenwood said.

“Talking about my mum battling secondary breast cancer, he was making cancer jokes all afternoon, talking about bringing my mum to the game in a hearse.

“There’s a line, and it gets crossed, and I was mad about it tonight.

“(I) got my first dunk since my freshman year, and I credit it to him tonight because that’s what motivated me.”

Head coach Craig Neal of the New Mexico Lobos hugs Hugh Greenwood after the team defeated the UNLV Rebels. Source: AFP

Greenwood’s sister, Josie, later tweeted a screenshot of a message from Hugh to the family saying: “I love you guys so much. No one messes with my family.”

The caption read: “I couldn’t be more proud of my brother tonight”.

The hugely popular 22-year-old, originally from Hobart, has a cult following at New Mexico and grew his long blond locks in support of his mother’s battle.

The deeply offensive tweets were deleted after Greenwood’s interview.