A jaw-dropping long-range display by the Cairns Taipans helped them escape with a wild 94-81 overtime victory over the Wollongong Hawks at the WIN Entertainment Centre on Friday.

The game was turned on its head late in the fourth when Aaron Grabau came up with an amazing eight-point possession for Cairns.

Grabau was fouled by Glen Saville while attempting a three-pointer and Saville then picked up a technical foul for remonstrating the call.

Grabau made all five free throws and nailed a triple on the ensuing possession to turn a six-point deficit into a two-point lead in just seconds.

Both teams then came up with huge plays in the final seconds of the fourth to send the game into an extra period.

Alex Loughton hit what looked like a game-winning three with six seconds remaining to put Cairns up 79-77 but Larry Davidson answered the call with a game-tying drive.

Loughton and Shane Edwards added two more triples early in overtime, before another dagger by Cameron Gliddon secured the much-needed win for the visitors.

Grabau was sensational from long-distance, sinking five bombs on his way to a game-high 22 points, while Edwards added 16 points for Cairns, who snapped their four-game losing streak.

"I'm extremely proud of the team, your character gets revealed when your back is against the wall and the guys came out rather relaxed and confident," Taipans coach Aaron Fearne said.

Saville (14 points and eight rebounds) produced a throwback performance, converting his first five attempts (5-of-6 shooting), featuring a trio of hook shots.

Once Saville fouled out Wollongong struggled for cohesion, having already lost both Rhys Martin and Lance Hurdle to injuries earlier on.

"The reason we lost the game was because we weren't smart enough and we didn't play smart enough," Hawks coach Gordie McLeod said.

"Down the stretch we were ill-disciplined in a whole lot of areas and our shooting from the free-throw line cost us."

Both teams enjoyed a hot start, but Wollongong were dealt a blow late in the term when Martin was helped from the court with a knee injury.

Cairns promptly rubbed it in with two more triples from Kerry Williams and Brad Hill to skip out to 26-16.

Saville's crafty lefty-hook capped a 15-3 spurt that pulled the Hawks within one-point, but the Taipans steadied through baskets by Jamar Wilson and Edwards to keep their noses in front.

Cairns continued to find answers until the final minute of the half when Oscar Forman's triple set the table for the home side to lead 42-40 at the break.

Saville uncorked another hook shot as Wollongong opened the third with a 10-3 run to open up a 64-53 advantage heading into the fourth.

Led by Wilson, the Snakes crept within three points as the Hawks offence began to dry up down the stretch and then made all the big shots to claim victory.

Cairns Taipans 94 (Grabau 22, Edwards 16, Loughton 13)
Wollongong Hawks 81 (Saville 14, Deleon 12, Forman 11)

Crowd: 3456 at WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong