A NASTY virus meant Aaron Grabau could hardly stand following his Friday night heroics in Wollongong that helped end the Taipans' four-game losing streak.

Grabau scored 22 points, 11 in the final quarter, as the Snakes fought back from a nine-point deficit to force overtime and eventually win 94-81.

He hit five-of-six threesand made all seven free throws to give him his highest individual tally in his past 154 games. At one stage the 34-year-old looked like eclipsing his 404-game best of 28 points.

But amazingly, Grabau was hardly at peak fitness, a virus had plagued him in the lead up and caused him breathing difficulty during the game.

"I was terrible; I couldn't even walk after the game and my chest was no good," Grabau said.

"But Fearne just subbed me back in in that fourth quarter and told me to shoot it every chance I got, so I did."

It was his pair of triples in the first quarter that got the Taipans out of the blocks.

Luckily for his teammates it was his accurate shooting that was catchingand not his sickness.

Kerry Williams nailed two of his own, Shane Edwards followed suit and Brad Hill joined in to give them 26-first quarter points. They finished with 16-of-27 from downtown.

Wollongong steadied to regain the lead and control of the contest by half time, but injuries to in-form Rhys Martin and later Lance Hurdle hurt their cause.

It was 11 Grabau points inside 90 seconds, including five consecutive free throws thanks to a Glen Saville tech foul, that got the Taipans back within one point and they grew in confidence from then on.

"Like I said during the week we have been working hard and doing the little things and finally it clicked," he said.

"We were rolling by the end of the fourth and when those shots are going down that's when basketball is fun."

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