Santa Cruz Cruises Past Motor City, 116-112

ORLANDO, FL – The Santa Cruz Warriors (11-4) beat the Motor City Cruise (9-6), 116-112, in their opening game of the Showcase Cup Tournament at the NBA G League Winter Showcase on Tuesday afternoon at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL.

Two-way guard Jerome Robinson led the Warriors with 27 points and added seven rebounds off the bench. Two-way guard Lester Quinones followed with 16 points and added eight rebounds. On assignment from Golden State, forward Gui Santos posted 15 points and six rebounds, and two-way center Usman Garuba added 14 points and nine rebounds in the win.

The Cruise were led by two-way forward Jared Rhoden with 33 points. Guard Zavier Simpson followed with 23 points and five assists, and forward Nathan Knight contributed 20 points off the bench. 

Motor City came out strong to lead the Warriors by as many as seven points at the start of the contest, but the Warriors fought back and moved ahead with three minutes left in the first quarter. After trading the lead with the clock winding down, the Warriors managed to close out the frame with a slim 28-25 lead. The second quarter saw seven lead changes as both teams continued to battle, and the Warriors entered the break trailing the Cruise 53-51 despite outrebounding Motor City 34-15 in the first half. Robinson led the Warriors in scoring with 17 points in the half. 

Santa Cruz opened the third quarter on a 7-0 run and maintained a slight advantage for much of the period until a lay-up by Knight propelled the Cruise into an 80-77 lead to end the frame. The final quarter was closely contested, with eight ties and neither team leading by more than three points. After falling behind with time running out, Motor City was forced to foul the Warriors throughout the final minute of the contest, and a made free throw by Santos with 3.0 seconds left in the game secured the 116-112 win for Santa Cruz. 

  The Santa Cruz Warriors will face the winner of the Tuesday evening game between the Mexico City Capitanes and the Westchester Knicks on Thursday, December 21 at 11:00 a.m. EST. The Warriors are in Orlando for the 2023 NBA G League Winter Showcase, having clinched the top spot in the West pod in the eight-team Showcase Cup tournament. These top eight teams will play in a single-elimination tournament with the winner and runners-up competing for a trophy and a monetary prize pool. The remaining G League teams who do not qualify to compete for the Showcase Cup Championship will each play an additional two games at Winter Showcase. Follow the NBA G League website to stay up to date with the schedule. For more information on Santa Cruz Warriors tickets or merchandise, please visit santacruzbasketball.com.