Santa Cruz Warriors Stun The Rio Grande Valley Vipers In Fourth Quarter Comeback, 106-103

EDINBURG, TX - The Santa Cruz Warriors (2-0) triumphed over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (0-2), 106-103, to open the regular season with a series sweep at Bert Ogden Arena on Saturday night.

Forward Javan Johnson led the way for Santa Cruz with 27 points and five rebounds, and forward Kevin Knox II followed closely behind with 25 points and seven rebounds. Center Seth Maxwell secured his first career double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Guard Yuri Collins orchestrated the offense to finish with five points and 12 assists.

Two-way forward N’Faly Dante led Rio Grande Valley with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Two-way forward Jack McVeigh added 20 points and nine rebounds, and guard Markquis Nowell finished with 17 points and eight assists. Two-way guard Nate Williams Jr. and forward Jermaine Samuels Jr. rounded out the scoring by contributing 11 points each. 

The Vipers scored the first seven points to open the contest before Maxwell answered for Santa Cruz with back-to-back dunks. The Warriors battled their way back to tie the contest at 12 points apiece, but Rio Grande Valley quickly responded with a 14-0 run to build a 26-12 advantage with 3:53 remaining. The Vipers preserved their lead through the end of the frame to head into the second period with a 35-23 edge. The Sea Dubs clawed back in the second quarter, highlighted by five straight points from Maxwell to bring the Warriors within 10 points with 4:21 left in the half. The Vipers immediately responded with a 10-2 run, but Santa Cruz countered to score the final 10 points of the second frame and enter the break at a narrow 60-52 deficit. 

The home team built their advantage to 72-58 in the first four minutes of the second half, but Santa Cruz fought to prevent the gap from widening and entered the final quarter behind the home side, 87-74. The Warriors offense turned the tides in their favor, effectively closing the gap with an 11-0 run to trail by two points with ten minutes remaining. Shortly after, a putback layup from Jackson +Rowe gave Santa Cruz a 90-89 lead — their first in the contest. The Vipers fought to tie the contest at 103 points, but Rowe converted both shots from the charity stripe to give the Warriors a two-point lead with 30 seconds left. A steal from Collins forced the Vipers to foul the Sea Dubs with nine seconds on the clock, and Collins split his subsequent free throws to give Santa Cruz a 106-103 victory and seal the series sweep.

The Santa Cruz Warriors will travel to Sioux Falls to face the Skyforce on Friday, January 3rd for the third bout of their seven-game road trip. The Warriors will match up twice against both the Iowa Wolves and Valley Suns before returning to Santa Cruz to face the Mexico City Capitanes in their regular season home opener on Friday, January 17th at 7:00 PM in Kaiser Permanente Arena. 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.