Santa Cruz Warriors See Six-Game Win Streak End In 122-118 Loss To South Bay Lakers

EL SEGUNDO, CA - The Santa Cruz Warriors (18-13) saw their six-game win streak come to an end in a 122-118 loss to the South Bay Lakers (14-17) in the first half of their back-to-back series at the UCLA Health Training Center on Monday night.

    Forward Blake Hinson led the Warriors with 34 points and four rebounds, while two-way guard Taran Armstrong came off the bench to contribute 22 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, and six steals. Two-way forward Jackson Rowe finished the game with 15 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Forward Donta Scott recorded 11 points off the bench and guard Yuri Collins filled up the stat sheet with nine points, 12 assists, eight rebounds, and two steals.

    Guard Bronny James, on assignment from the Los Angeles Lakers, put up 39 points, seven rebounds, and four steals. Guard Sir'Jabari Rice and forward Joirdon Nicholas, who had a game-high 12 rebounds, combined for 39 points off the bench for South Bay, scoring 20 points and 19 points, respectively. Forward Cole Swider capped off the home team’s offensive production with 14 points and five rebounds.

    James handled the brunt of South Bay’s offensive workload to start the game, scoring eight of the team’s first 10 points as the Lakers got out to an early four-point lead four minutes into the game. After opening the contest shooting 1-of-8 from the floor, Santa Cruz came to life with an 18-2 surge to take a 24-12 advantage with 3:12 remaining in the first quarter. Outside of James, South Bay struggled to find success scoring the ball, shooting 1-of-11 from behind the arc to enter the second quarter trailing Santa Cruz, 26-17. South Bay started the second quarter on a 12-2 run, erasing Santa Cruz’s lead and taking a 29-28 advantage of their own four minutes into the frame. Rice capitalized on the visiting team’s foul troubles by scoring eight of his 14 second-quarter points at the charity stripe to keep the Lakers in front, 51-46, with just over two minutes until halftime. Santa Cruz was bolstered by 17 points off the bench as South Bay continued to struggle shooting from distance, missing on all six of their second-quarter attempts to send the Sea Dubs into the halftime break leading, 55-53.

    Santa Cruz rebuilt their lead to seven points just over two minutes into the second half, but a 10-0 Laker run gave the home side a 67-64 advantage with 7:51 left in the third quarter. Both squads hit their offensive strides in unison and exchanged a flurry of baskets for over four minutes, but South Bay hung on to a slim 79-77 lead to remain in front after the dust settled. Hinson drained his 107th three-pointer of the season with 35.9 seconds left to etch his name in Santa Cruz history with the second-most made three-pointers in a single season in franchise history and give the Sea Dubs an 89-87 lead heading into the fourth quarter. After trailing Santa Cruz by one point two minutes into the final frame, an 11-point Laker push saw South Bay take their first double-digit advantage of the game, leading 105-95 with just over seven minutes left in the contest. James and Nicholas combined for 23 of the Lakers’ 35 points across the final 12 minutes of the game and Santa Cruz was unable to chip away at their deficit, trailing 118-105 with 2:56­­­ remaining on the clock. The Sea Dubs pieced together a last-minute counterattack with a 13-2 run to make it a two-point game with 16.6 seconds left to play, but the Warriors could not complete their comeback and fell to the South Bay Lakers, 122-118.

    The Santa Cruz Warriors will stay in South Bay to face the Lakers again tomorrow night, Tuesday, March 25, for their final road game of the regular season, with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m. PT. 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.