The Townsville Crocodiles moved a step closer to sewing up an NBL finals spot with a 109-101 victory over the Melbourne Tigers in a scrappy affair at the Swamp on Sunday night.

Teenage sensation Brad Newley (26 points and six assists) and import Robert Brown (21 points) led the way for the Crocs, who held the upper hand for almost the entire contest.

Melbourne veteran Andrew Gaze was the visitors' best with 25 points while Mark Bradtke was dominant on the boards, pulling down 14 rebounds to go with his 21 points.

The result not only snapped the Tigers' four-game winning streak but lifted Townsville's record to 13-13.

The home team looked like running away with the game in the second quarter, but Gaze engineered a 12-0 run to keep his side in the hunt.

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