Santa Cruz Fall to Salt Lake City Stars in 128-110 Road Loss

WEST VALLEY CITY, UT – The Santa Cruz Warriors (9-7) fell to the Salt Lake City Stars (5-10) on Wednesday evening at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah, 128-110.

Forward Jackson Rowe led Santa Cruz with 22 points and five rebounds, followed closely by forward Javan Johnson with 20 points and five rebounds. Guard Yuri Collins contributed 15 points and seven assists, and guard Kendric Davis added 12 points and seven assists. 

Salt Lake City was led by two-way guard Johnny Juzang with 28 points. Combo guard-forward Romeo Langford scored 16 points, and guard Jason Preston posted a triple-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in the winning effort. 

  The first quarter saw seven lead changes as both teams battled on the offensive end, spurred on by 11 first-quarter points from Rowe for Santa Cruz and back-to-back three-pointers from Langford for Salt Lake City. A last-second putback from forward Justin Lewis gave the Stars a slim 28-27 lead to end the period. Salt Lake City opened the second frame with a 7-0 run and rode that momentum to lead by as many as 13 points before five straight points from forward Javonte Green, returning from injury for his first minutes of the season, narrowed the gap to 59-54 with 1:54 remaining. The Stars managed to score twice more with the clock winding down to enter the break with a 63-54 lead against the visiting Warriors.

  A Collins layup kicked off the scoring effort for Santa Cruz in the second half, and seven quick points from Rowe and guard Donovan Williams followed by seven straight points from Johnson narrowed Salt Lake City’s lead to 72-70 with 7:42 remaining. However, a brief Santa Cruz scoring drought allowed the Stars to regain their advantage, and Salt Lake City moved ahead by as many as eight points before settling with a 92-88 lead to end the third quarter. The final frame saw the Stars go on a 17-3 run to lead by 18 points with eight minutes remaining in the contest before Santa Cruz responded with an 8-0 run of their own to trail 111-101 with 6:12 left to play. Santa Cruz was unable to defend the arc and close the deficit, ultimately falling to the Stars 128-110.

  The Santa Cruz Warriors will now return to Kaiser Permanente Arena to host a two-game series against the Iowa Wolves on Friday, February 9 at 7 p.m. (PT) and Saturday, February 10 at 7 p.m. (PT). The first 1,000 fans in attendance on Friday night will receive either a Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson Tiki Mug courtesy of DoorDash and the first 1,000 fans in attendance on Saturday night will receive a Bucket Hat presented by Seascape Beach Resort. 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 or visit santacruzbasketball.com for more information.