Santa Cruz Warriors Fall to Salt Lake City Stars, 119-112

February 25, 2023

The Santa Cruz Warriors (11-10) fell to the Salt Lake City Stars (13-9), 119-112, Saturday night at Kaiser Permanente Arena.

   Guard Lester Quinones led the Sea Dubs with a season-high 42 points in addition to eight rebounds and four assists. Forward Jordan Schakel added 20 points, and guard Jerome Robinson contributed 17 points and six rebounds for Santa Cruz. 

    Guard Christian Vital led the Stars with 24 points, five rebounds, and five assists tonight. Center Micah Potter notched 17 points and 14 rebounds, and guard Jeenathan Williams added 19 points to Salt Lake City’s win.

  The matchup opened with a 13-0 run by Salt Lake City, before a three-point shot by Quinones to put Santa Cruz on the board. The Stars held a slight lead for much of the quarter, but the Sea Dubs responded with a dunk from Robinson, closing the scoring gap to just four points as the quarter closed, 25-21. In the second quarter, the Warriors kept the matchup close, but Salt Lake City remained in the lead. With two minutes left before the half, the Warriors closed the gap to two points. Ultimately, the Stars took a 52-48 lead into halftime.              

    Santa Cruz took their first lead of the game with just under 11 minutes left in the third quarter, before the Stars responded, turning the game into a back-and-forth battle. After eight lead changes, Salt Lake City pulled ahead, closing the third frame up 82-80. 

As the final frame opened, the Warriors took the lead. The score stayed close throughout the fourth quarter, but the Warriors sustained their momentum, growing their advantage to as many as nine points. With just over three minutes remaining in the matchup, the Stars tied the game, and the back-and-forth lead exchange resumed. After three lead changes in the final four minutes of play, the Stars came out on top, 119-112, after finishing the game on a 20-4 run. 

   The Santa Cruz Warriors will face the Cleveland Charge for a two-game series on March 2 at 7:00pm PST at Kaiser Permanente Arena and March 4 at 12:30pm PST at Chase Center. The first 1,000 fans in attendance on March 2 will receive a Clear Fanny Pack presented by Kaiser Permanente and the first 10,000 fans in attendance on March 4 will receive a Captain Klay Bobblehead presented by Adobe. Tickets can be purchased at santacruzbasketball.com or by calling 831-713-4400.