Santa Cruz Drops Road Finale 131-119 In Salt Lake City

WEST VALLEY CITY, UT - In the final road game of the regular season, the Santa Cruz Warriors (14-20) lost 131-119 to the Salt Lake City Stars (14-22) on Tuesday night at Maverik Center.

Guard Taevion Kinsey led the Sea Dubs with 22 points and six assists, while guard Chance McMillian and center Marques Bolden both notched 20 points and six rebounds apiece. Coming off the bench, guard/forward Jordan Hall tallied 16 points and nine assists, and forward Ja’Vier Francis finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. Forward Jacksen Moni totaled 12 points and eight rebounds, and forward Jack Clark rounded out the scoring with 10 points. 

Guard Max Abmas notched 40 points and six assists, knocking down 10 three-pointers. Guard Dereon Seabron finished with 28 points, and forward Matthew Cleveland logged 21 points of his own. Center Steven Crowl tallied a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while forward Trey Townsend contributed 16 points. 

Abmas opened the contest with 11-straight points as part of a 64% shooting performance that saw the Stars post 44 first-quarter points. Bolden handled the brunt of the Sea Dubs’ response, scoring 13 points to keep Santa Cruz within striking distance, trailing 44-29 after 12 minutes. Another efficient start to the second quarter saw Salt Lake City stretch its lead to 23, 61-38, five minutes in as Abmas posted another double-digit frame. Led by a team-high 11 points from Francis, the Sea Dub reserves accounted for 21 of the team’s 32 second-quarter points, yet the Stars entered halftime ahead 80-61 thanks to 10-for-20 three-point shooting.

After trailing by 20-plus for the first seven minutes of the second half, an inspired 15-0 Santa Cruz run quickly made it a 7-point game, 97-90, with just over two minutes left in the third period; however, the Warriors’ offense stalled over the closing minutes and entered the final frame behind 102-90. Santa Cruz cut the margin to two possessions twice in the fourth quarter, behind 106-101 at the 7:45 mark and 120-114 with 2:28 left to play, but the Stars managed to rebuild double-digit advantages each time. Taevion Kinsey provided 12 points in the Warriors’ comeback attempt yet hampered by 1-for-9 shooting from deep in the final frame, Santa Cruz fell 131-119 in their final road game of the season.

The Warriors will close out the season against the Texas Legends on Friday, March 27, for ‘Golden State Valkyries Night,’ followed by ‘Fan Appreciation Night’ on Saturday, March 28. The first 1,000 fans in attendance on March 27 will receive a Violet & Mav’Riks T-Shirt. 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.