Santa Cruz Warriors Blow By The Blue, Powering Past Oklahoma City 113-103

SANTA CRUZ, CA - The Santa Cruz Warriors (12-7) fought back from a 12-point halftime deficit to defeat the Oklahoma City Blue (9-11), 113-103, in the first half of their weekend back-to-back series at Kaiser Permanente Arena on Friday night.

    Forward Blake Hinson continued to have the hot hand for the Warriors following his career-high 42-point performance last game, recording a game-high 32 points and adding eight rebounds. Two-way forward Jackson Rowe finished the night with an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double, and forward Donta Scott followed closely behind with 17 points and five rebounds. Guard Marcus Burk rounded out the night with 12 points.

    The Blue were led in scoring by guard/forward Buddy Boeheim and guard Logan Johnson, who secured 20 points each. Johnson added an additional seven rebounds and five assists. Forward Malevy Leons finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists, and center Noah Starkey grabbed 18 rebounds and seven points. Guard Cormac Ryan rounded out the scoring with 13 points off the bench.  

    Oklahoma City’s defense limited the Warriors’ success in scoring the ball early as the Sea Dubs fell behind, 18-12, halfway through the opening frame. Santa Cruz recovered quickly and came alive on both ends of the court, mounting a 12-0 run – led by guard Marcus Burk’s seven points – to take a 24-18 advantage. Guard Alex Gil-Fernandez’s first three-pointer of the season put the Warriors ahead by eight with 13 seconds remaining, but a second-chance layup at the buzzer from Leons saw the home side take a 33-27 lead into the second quarter. The Sea Dubs opened the second frame with vigor, highlighted by an alley-oop dunk from Rowe to give the home team a 40-27 edge. The Blue retaliated by taking advantage of a lull in the Santa Cruz offense to counter with a 21-3 run, reclaiming a 48-43 lead with 5:15 remaining in the half. Both teams battled for control of the contest to close the period, but Oklahoma City edged out Santa Cruz with an 11-0 run in the final minutes to enter the break ahead, 63-51.

    After being outscored 36-18 in the second quarter, Santa Cruz flipped the script coming out of the halftime break, holding the Blue to 18 points in the third period on 6-of-23 shooting. The Sea Dubs opened the second half with a 6-0 run to cut their deficit in half two minutes into the quarter, and back-to-back threes from Hinson and Scott – who combined for 14 points in the frame – tied the game up at 67-67 with 5:33 left in the period. Oklahoma City’s bench scored 14 of the team’s 18 third-quarter points and stifled the Warriors’ chance to take the lead, and both sides headed into the final 12 minutes of the game all squared up at 81 points apiece. Both teams matched each other shot for shot to start the final period, and a corner three-pointer from Cameron Parker paved the way for a quick run to bring the score to 102-94 in the home team’s favor with 5:10 left to go. The Warriors remained energized, securing a plethora of defensive stops to widen the gap to 109-97 with less than 2 minutes remaining. Oklahoma City fought to score quickly in their final possessions, but Santa Cruz burned the clock en route to their twelfth victory of the regular season, 113-103.

 
    The Santa Cruz Warriors and Oklahoma City Blue will face off again tomorrow night on Saturday, February 22, for the second half of their back-to-back series. For tomorrow’s game the Warriors will temporarily change their name to the Santa Cruz Surfers for the second annual Santa Cruz Surfers Night, presented by West Peak, to honor the rich surfing history and culture in Santa Cruz. The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a Santa Cruz Surfers Beach Towel and the opportunity to bid on limited-edition Santa Cruz Surfers themed jerseys. 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@warriors.com, or visit santacruzbasketball.com for more information.