Santa Cruz Warriors Fend Off Texas Legends In OT Thriller, 122-119

SANTA CRUZ, CA – The Santa Cruz Warriors (8-6) fended off the Texas Legends (8-6) in overtime, 122-119, on Friday night at Kaiser Permanente Arena in front of a sold-out crowd.  

Forward Donovan Williams led both teams with 28 points and added nine rebounds in the Warriors overtime win. Guard Pat Spencer contributed 18 points and five assists off the bench, and guard Kendric Davis rounded out the scoring with 17 points, nine assists, and five rebounds. Guard Yuri Collins finished with 13 points and 10 assists to collect his first double-double of the season. 

Two-way center Greg Brown III led the Legends with 22 points and added nine rebounds. Guard Justin Jackson finished the night with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and forward Olivier-Maxence Prosper, on assignment from the Dallas Mavericks, added 18 points and 13 rebounds. Guard Jordan Walker contributed 19 points off the bench for the Legends.  

The Legends took an early lead, slowly widening their advantage to as many as eight points until back-to-back explosive dunks from center Amida Brimah and Williams ignited the Sea Dubs offense with four minutes remaining. Fast-paced offense and suffocating defense from the Warriors fueled a 15-2 run to end the opening frame with a 38-25 lead. Spencer and Williams combined for 12 consecutive points in the second frame to spark another offensive run that allowed the Sea Dubs to extend their lead to as many as 22 points. Undeterred by the Texas defense, the Warriors kept their grip on the lead to end the second half, 68-51.  

The Legends opened the second half on a 10-0 run before a layup from guard Javan Johnson ended the Sea Dubs drought. A Collins spin move dropped his defender and drew ovation as the Warriors held firm to end the frame, 95-71. A 15-0 Legends run to open the fourth quarter helped narrow the gap to just eight points before a three-point shot from Johnson pushed the Warriors to lead 100-87. The Legends closed the gap to trail by as little as one point until a Prosper jump shot allowed the visitors to regain the lead, 108-106. Both teams continued to battle as a three-point shot from Davis gave the Warriors a 113-111 lead with 21.4 seconds remaining. The Legends responded by tying the game at 113 from the charity stripe to send the game into a target score overtime.  

Both teams struggled to find an opening in overtime until a Spencer mid-range shot brought the Warriors two points closer to the target score. The Legends quickly responded with a mid-range jumper from Walker and a dunk from Brown III to bring Texas within one possession of the win. Quick points from both sides tied the contest at 119 before a soaring three-pointer from Williams sealed the 122-119 victory for the Warriors.  

The Santa Cruz Warriors will once again face the Texas Legends at Kaiser Permanente Arena on Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. (PT) for the second contest in the back-to-back series. The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive a Golden State Warriors Retro Lunchbox courtesy of Kaiser Permanente. 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.