Townsville survived a spirited Perth Wildcats comeback and snapped a five-game losing streak with a nail-biting 97-90 NBL victory at Challenge Stadium.

Rob Brown (19 points, 12 rebounds) and Derek Moore (14 points) provided a productive inside tandem for the Crocs, who watched Perth overcome an early 17-point deficit to take the lead in the final term.

But Townsville guard John Rillie, who had a quiet offensive night, hit three huge three-pointers in the closing minutes to steer the visitors home.

Five wins separated fourth-placed Perth from the Crocs heading into tonight's clash, with the visitors languishing in 10th.

Townsville also had a horrible 1-8 away record and Perth had won all three meetings between the pair in season 2003-04.

But it all counted for nought as the Crocs' experience told in the dying minutes, with veteran Rob Rose hitting a team-high 21 points.

Wildcats import Rosell Ellis (24 points) almost single-handedly kept the home side in the contest, pouring in 21 first half points.

He has quickly become a focal point with his unconventional but highly effective offensive game.

But he lacked support, with Tony Ronaldson (16 points) and Peter Crawford (10) the next best offensive contributors for the Cats.

This also represented Perth's first match without marquee import Rashad Tucker, whose attitude problems led to his surprise sacking earlier this week.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP