Santa Cruz Warriors Edged Out By The Herd, Losing 112-110 To Wisconsin

SANTA CRUZ, CA - The Santa Cruz Warriors (12-12) fought until the final buzzer but were edged out by the Wisconsin Herd (13-13), 112-110, at Kaiser Permanente Arena on Friday night.

    Forward Blake Hinson led both teams in scoring with a game-high 34 points. Two-way forward Braxton Key followed behind with his second consecutive double-double, collecting 25 points, 14 rebounds, seven steals, and three blocks. Forward Javan Johnson contributed 18 points and nine rebounds, and guard Alex Gil-Fernandez rounded out the Santa Cruz offense with 15 points and three steals off the bench. 

    Guard James Akinjo led the Herd with 31 points and nine assists, and guard Terence Davis followed with 23 points. Forward/center Henry Ellenson collected 16 points and 16 rebounds, and center John Butler Jr. added 12 points and five blocks. 

    Both teams struggled to find their offensive groove after putting their defensive intensity on full display from the jump, shooting a combined 3-of-19 from the field to keep the score tied at 7-7 almost six minutes into the game. Davis checked into the game for the Herd and made an immediate impact, shooting a perfect 3-of-3 from the field to put Wisconsin ahead, 20-14, with two minutes left in the first quarter. Gil-Fernandez matched Davis’ bench production with eight first-quarter points of his own, and Santa Cruz rolled into the second frame with a 23-22 lead after a successful last-second trip to the charity stripe from Hinson. Gil-Fernandez continued to add momentum for Santa Cruz with five early points in the period to keep Santa Cruz neck and neck with Wisconsin, 34-34, with eight minutes remaining in the half. Five first-half steals from Key paved the way for easy buckets in transition for the Warriors, giving the home side a 42-34 advantage halfway through the second quarter. The Herd fought to close the gap, scoring the last five points of the period to enter the break narrowly trailing Santa Cruz, 53-52. 

    It took Johnson less than 60 seconds to nail back-to-back threes, putting the Sea Dubs ahead, 59-52, coming out of the halftime break. Wisconsin immediately orchestrated an 18-5 rebuttal to swing the game in their favor, pulling in front, 70-64, with just under five minutes to play in the frame. The Warriors were hindered by nine turnovers in the third quarter as Hinson and Johnson combined for 18 of the home team’s 20 points in the frame. Wisconsin continued to control the pace, leading for the entire back half of the third quarter to take a 79-73 edge into the fourth quarter. Key’s defensive efforts once again proved to be the game-changing factor as back-to-back blocks helped close the gap to 81-79 to open the final frame. Santa Cruz turned the tides with a three-pointer from Key to reclaim a 101-100 advantage with 2:54 left to play. Both teams continued to trade baskets until Hinson countered with his sixth made three-pointer of the night to put Santa Cruz in front with a 110-108 lead, but the Herd secured back-to-back trips to the charity stripe and converted on all four shots to take a two-point lead with 3.9 seconds left in the contest. The Sea Dubs were unable to convert their final shot coming out of their timeout, and the Warriors ultimately fell to the Herd, 112-110. 

    The Santa Cruz Warriors will host their annual Chase Center Game against the Mexico City Capitanes on Sunday, March 9, with tip-off scheduled for 12:30 p.m. PT. The first 10,000 fans in attendance will receive a Sandcastle Stephen Curry Bobblehead, presented by Adobe. 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.