Santa Cruz Warriors Fall to Stockton Kings in Overtime. 113-112
By Santa Cruz Warriors Staff /January 3, 2023
)
December 30, 2022
The Santa Cruz Warriors (0-2) fell to the Stockton Kings (2-0), 113-112, in a target score overtime on Friday night at Kaiser Permanente Arena.
Guard Gui Santos led the Warriors with 31 points and added eight rebounds. Forward Lester Quinones closed out the night with 16 points and 10 rebounds and guard Ryan Rollins, on assignment from Golden State, added 17 points off the bench.
Guard Trey Burke led the Kings with 29 points off the bench and center Chance Comanche secured a double-double in the win, notching 18 points and 14 rebounds. Forward Deonte Burton finished the night with 11 points and five assists.
The first quarter saw nine points from both Quinones and Santos, pushing Santa Cruz to a 37-27 lead heading into the second frame. Santa Cruz extended the lead by as many as 24 points in the second quarter and closed out the first half with a 65-46 lead over Stockton.
The Warriors had ten turnovers in the third quarter, helping the Kings close the lead, 79-72, heading into the final quarter. Stockton continued to close the lead in the fourth quarter, bringing the Warriors lead down to just three points with less than two minutes remaining in the contest. A Warriors foul on Burke with a minute remaining tied the game at 104. The Kings took the lead with 36.6 seconds remaining in the contest, but Warriors center Jayce Johnson responded with a bucket, tying the game at 106 and sending the contest into overtime.
After surrendering the first five points in overtime, Santa Cruz scored the next six, punctuated by a Zeke Moore dunk to go up 112-111 and put the Sea Dubs one point away from a win. However, Comanche’s tip-in on the next trip down the court pushed Stockton to the target score of 113 and secured the win for the Kings.
The Santa Cruz Warriors will now travel for a back-to-back against the NBA G League Ignite on Thursday, January 5 at 7 p.m. PST and Friday, January 6 at 7 p.m. PST at Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, NV. To purchase tickets or for more information on the Santa Cruz Warriors, visit santacruzbasketball.com or call (831) 713-4400.