Santa Cruz Warriors Fall To Cleveland Charge, 116-104

CLEVELAND, OH – The Santa Cruz Warriors (1-4) fell to the Cleveland Charge (2-2), 116-104, on Saturday evening at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio. 

Guard Donovan Williams and forward Jackson Rowe both finished the night with 23 points and four rebounds. Two-way center Usman Garuba added 18 points and nine rebounds, and guard Kendric Davis added 16 points, four rebounds and two steals in the loss. 

Two-way forward Emoni Bates led both teams with 38 points and added six rebounds and four assists. Center Pete Nance added 21 points, 10 rebounds and four assists and forward Malik Fitts closed out the night with 15 points and five rebounds. 

The Charge took an early lead with help from a combined 21 first quarter points from Nance and Bates. Despite 16 Santa Cruz rebounds in the frame, the Sea Dubs trailed Cleveland 30-22 to close out the quarter. The Warriors opened the second quarter on an 11-2 run, tying the contest at 30. A three-point shot from Rowe followed to give the Sea Dubs a one-point lead, 33-32, with 9:16 remaining in the half. The Charge regained the lead and pushed their advantage to as many as 17 points. A layup from Cleveland’s Nance at the buzzer brought the score to 66-51 at halftime.

Santa Cruz opened the third quarter with a 17-4 run to bring the score to within just two points, but three Bates three-pointers helped the Charge extend their lead and enter the final frame with an 89-79 advantage. A three-point shot from forward Javan Johnson brought the Sea Dubs within five points of the Charge with less than five minutes remaining in the contest, 105-100. However, Cleveland maintained the lead to ultimately secure the win over Santa Cruz, 116-104.

The Warriors will now return home to Kaiser Permanente Arena to host the South Bay Lakers on Saturday, January 13 at 7 p.m. PT. The first 1,000 fans in attendance will receive a Golf Bros Duo Bobblehead courtesy of Rakuten. 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.