McMillian's Career-High 30 Points Highlights Warriors' 130-100 Loss in Cleveland

CLEVELAND, OH - The Santa Cruz Warriors (13-16) were hindered by 6-for-39 three-point shooting, falling 130-100 to the Cleveland Charge (21-9) on Saturday night at Public Auditorium.

Guard Chance McMillian led the Warriors with a career-high 30 points. Forward Ja’Vier Francis came off the bench to record a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double. Guard Taevion Kinsey notched 16 points and five assists, with guard Franco Miller Jr. following close behind with 14 points and six assists. Center Marques Bolden tallied 13 points and seven rebounds, and guard Trey Galloway scored 10 points.

Two-way center Olivier Sarr notched a double-double for the Charge with 24 points and 12 rebounds. Guard Darius Brown II also logged a double-double, recording 15 points and 15 assists. Guard Malakai Branham came off the bench to total 24 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists. Two-way forward Tristan Enaruna and guard Jaxson Robinson scored 15 points and 12 points, respectively.

With Cleveland shooting 77.3% from the floor in the opening frame, a quarter-high 15 points from McMillian kept the Sea Dubs in striking distance as the home side got out to an efficient offensive start. After Santa Cruz took a two-point lead at the 4:18 mark, the Charge closed the frame on a 16-6 run to claim a 39-31 advantage. Cleveland opened the second quarter with 11 unanswered points, expanding the margin to as much as 25, 70-45, with 1:03 left in the half. The Sea Dubs’ first-half offense was limited by 3-for-21 three-point shooting, as the Charge scored 24 points on 50% shooting from behind the arc to lead 70-49 at intermission.

The Sea Dubs’ offense ignited midway through the third quarter, as a pair of and-one conversions from Kinsey and Francis capped off 11 straight points for Santa Cruz to cut the deficit to 13, 86-73, at the 3:26 mark. However, the Warriors' spark was quickly snuffed out by a 13-5 run to end the frame, as Cleveland regained a 20-point margin, 99-78. The Santa Cruz reserves supplied 14 of the team’s 22 points in the final quarter, with Francis logging a quarter-high six. However, the Charge utilized 12 of their 13 active players in the final frame to keep their foot on the gas, expanding their margin to as much as 35 points, ultimately defeating the Warriors 130-100

The Warriors will head to the nation's capital to face the Capital City Go-Go on Tuesday, March 17, at 11 a.m. PT. For more information on the Santa Cruz Warriors, please visit santacruzbasketball.com or call (831) 713-4400. 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.