Santa Cruz Warriors Falter In The Fourth, Losing To The Memphis Hustle 115-109

SANTA CRUZ, CA - The Santa Cruz Warriors (12-9) dropped the first half of their weekend back-to-back series to the Memphis Hustle (11-10), 115-109, at Kaiser Permanente Arena on Friday night.

    Forward Blake Hinson led the Warriors in scoring with 25 points, and forward Javan Johnson followed closely behind with 21 points. Guard Yuri Collins, on assignment from Golden State, dished out a 16-point, 13-assist double-double, and forward Donta Scott added 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Guard Cameron Parker rounded out the offensive effort with 13 points.

    Forward/center Armando Bacot led both teams with a game-high 34 points and 25 rebounds. Guard/forward Nate Hinton and guard Malachi Smith both recorded 16 points apiece, with Hinton contributing an additional 11 rebounds and seven assists. Forward Miles Norris ended the game with 15 points and guard DJ Steward tallied 12 points and seven assists.

    It took 19 seconds for Hinson, Santa Cruz’s regular-season scoring leader, to get the home side on the board, scoring the first five points of the game as the Warriors got out to a 14-8 lead four minutes into the game. Memphis struggled to find their stroke from deep, starting the game shooting 1-of-8 from behind the arc. On the other end, back-to-back threes from forward Donta Scott stretched Santa Cruz’s lead to 13 points with 5:25 remaining in the opening quarter. Four Sea Dubs scored five or more points in the first quarter, but eight points from Bacot cut into the Warriors’ advantage and Santa Cruz took a 30-26 lead into the second quarter. The Warriors continued to find success from behind the arc, converting at an efficient 50% clip to keep Memphis at bay and extend their lead to 54-40 with 4:13 remaining in the half. The Hustle fought to narrow their deficit with a fast-paced offense, but 14 second-quarter points from Hinson kept the Sea Dubs in front with a 62-53 advantage at the break.

    Similar to the first half, Santa Cruz opened the third quarter scoring five straight points before Memphis mounted a 9-3 run to cut their deficit to six points less than four minutes into the second half. After being held scoreless for almost three minutes in the heart of the period, a 7-0 run from Parker and Scott reclaimed a double-digit advantage for the Warriors, who pulled ahead, 77-64, with 5:02 left to play in the quarter. The Hustle starters combined for 20 of the team’s 22 third-quarter points, but they could not keep up with the home side’s balanced scoring attack and the Warriors held on to their 91-75 double-digit advantage heading into the fourth quarter. The Hustle struck first in the final frame, but the Sea Dubs quickly responded with a 10-3 run to give them a 101-84 lead – their largest lead of the game. With the clock slowly winding down, Memphis countered with 16 unanswered points to close the gap to just one point. The Warriors fought to prevent a lead change, but the visiting team took control of the contest with a plethora of points in the paint to take a 111-103 lead with 50 seconds remaining in the contest. Unfortunately, the Sea Dubs were unable to swing the momentum back in their favor, and Santa Cruz dropped the first game of their back-to-back series, 115-109.

    The Santa Cruz Warriors will host the Memphis Hustle again tomorrow night, Saturday, March 1, for the second half of their back-to-back weekend series. The first 1,000 fans in attendance tomorrow night will receive a custom Women’s Empowerment Month shirt designed by Golden State Warriors graphic designer Emma Leeper, 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, email scwtickets@warriors.com, or visit santacruzbasketball.com for more information.