TAIPANS guard Kerry Williams will have MRI scans on his knee today after going down in agony in the second quarter of his side's 79-76 defeat to Townsville at the Bendigo Bank Basketball Centre yesterday.

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Play had to be halted while Williams was helped from the court and into the dressing room, with Taipans coach Aaron Fearne unsure of the severity of the injury after the match.

"They don’t think it is (serious) but until we hear from the MRIs we won’t
really know," he said.

Williams’s injury was the biggest headache for Fearne out of yesterday’s contest, which saw the Taipans recover from a 15-point deficit in the first quarter to nearly steal a win against their archrivals.

The Taipans’ offence misfired early, with the home team looking every bit like a combination having their first serious hit-out of the preseason.

Crocs big man Luke Schenscher was also proving a handful at the defensive end. The former NBA player commanded the paint throughout the match to finish with a game-high 23 points.

It looked like the Taipans were on their way to a heavy loss before the injection of Deba George sparked life into the home side.

Forced to play more minutes with Williams absent, George was outstanding in the third quarter and, along with Ayinde Ubaka – who was making his Taipans
debut – helped move his team within five points of the lead.

The Crocs pulled away late in the quarter but three-pointers to George, Ubaka and a score to veteran Aaron Grabau early in the final term drew the Taipans level.

When Ubaka drove hard to the basket and netted with two minutes left, the Taipans had the lead for the first time.

But a three-point bomb from Michael Cedar kept the Crocs in touch before the visitors edged away between timeouts in the final minute.

The Taipans had the chance to level the game with the final shot of the match but Grabau’s three-point attempt fell just
short.

Fearne said the Taipans’ poor start ultimately cost them the game.

"There were a bit of nerves early and that probably hurt us in the end because we had to work so hard to get out of the hole," he said.

"But we showed some really good toughness and some fight. We had free throws and open shots to win the game. You want to put yourself in a position to do that and we
did."

TOWNSVILLE CROCS 79 (Luke Schenscher 23, Brad Williams 17, Michael Cedar 15) d CAIRNS TAIPANS 76 (Dusty Rychart 17, Aaron Grabau 15, Deba George 14, Ayinde Ubaka 14).