Clark And Miller Jr. Shine In Short-Handed Sea Dubs' 126-113 Loss To Salt Lake City LAKE CITY

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - In a game that saw a trio of Sea Dubs notch career-high scoring performances, the Santa Cruz Warriors (8-6) fell behind early and lost 126-113 to the Salt Lake City Stars (6-9) on Monday night at the Delta Center.

Earning his first double-double of the regular season, forward Jack Clark notched a career-high 25 points (5-for-13 3PA) and 11 rebounds. In his first career start, guard Franco Miller Jr. recorded a career-high 21 points and eight rebounds. Guard Taevion Kinsey filled up the stat sheet, finishing with 19 points, nine assists, and five rebounds. Forward Jacksen Moni logged 16 points in his first start of the year, while forward Riley Grigsby (career-high 13 points) and forward Ja’Vier Francis (10 points) came off the bench to contribute double-digit scoring performances.

Two-way guard John Tonje led the Stars with 25 points and four assists. Forward Matthew Cleveland finished the game with 19 points and 11 rebounds, while two-way forward/center Oscar Tshiebwe added 17 points and 16 rebounds. Coming off the bench, forward Cameron McGriff logged 10 points and 10 rebounds, and guard Sean East II contributed 17 points and six assists. 

The short-handed Sea Dubs struggled from long range early, knocking down just one of their first 10 attempts from behind the arc, fueling a 22-7 Stars’ lead six minutes into the contest. Salt Lake City’s advantage expanded to as much as 19 points, 35-16, at the 2:20 mark as nine different Stars logged first-quarter points. The Warriors found a spark in the closing seconds, capping the period with a buzzer-beating alley-oop from Miller Jr. to Clark to cut the deficit to 35-20. The Stars maintained their momentum, opening the second quarter on a 15-6 run to pull ahead 50-26 at the 8:17 mark. However, with four Sea Dubs notching six-plus points in the frame, Santa Cruz whittled the lead down to seven, 58-51, heading into halftime. The Warriors’ charge was spearheaded by defensive dominance, holding the Stars to just eight points over the closing eight minutes of the first half.

Although Santa Cruz fought to claim their first lead of the game, the visiting side could get no closer than five points as Salt Lake City kept them in the rearview. The Warriors’ comeback hopes were hampered by six third-quarter turnovers, contributing to a 17-6 Stars run that inflated the gap to 17 points, 94-77, heading into the final period. Led by Clark, who scored a team-high 11 points in the frame on three three-pointers, Santa Cruz managed to cut the deficit to eight, 115-107, with 3:18 left to play, but was unable to bridge the gap any further. Tonje, who played the entire duration of the fourth quarter, tallied 14 points in the period to keep the Warriors at bay and secure the 126–113 victory for the Stars.

The Sea Dubs close out the month of January with a back-to-back series at home against the Iowa Wolves on Friday, January 30, and Saturday, January 31. Vote your favorite Santa Cruz Warriors into the 2026 NBA G League Next Up Game presented by AT&T by CLICKING HERE before polls close on Friday, January 30. Stay up to date with the latest Santa Cruz Warriors news, scores, and exclusive content by downloading the official Santa Cruz Warriors app for iOS and Android. Fans interested in securing the best seats at the lowest price are encouraged to call (831) 713-4400, email scwtickets@goldenstate.com, or visit santacruzbasketball.com for more information.