Santa Cruz Warriors Sweep Rio Grande Valley Vipers, 116-111

SANTA CRUZ, CA– The Santa Cruz Warriors (16-11) once again triumphed over the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (14-11), 116-111, to sweep the series on Tuesday night at Kaiser Permanente Arena in front of a sold-out crowd.  

The Warriors were led by guard Donovan Williams with 20 points and five rebounds, followed closely by forward Javonte Green with 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Two-way guard Pat Spencer contributed 13 points, six rebounds, and six assists, and fellow two-way center Usman Garuba notched a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds in the Warriors win.  

Forward Jarrett Culver led the game in scoring once more with 25 points and seven rebounds. Guard Jalen Lecque came off the bench to contribute 17 points and five assists, and center Ray Spalding added 15 points and nine rebounds. Two-way guard Nate Hinton notched 12 points and eight rebounds for the Vipers. 

The opening quarter saw 13 early points from Culver to boost the Vipers to a 42-29 lead to close out the frame. Rio Grande Valley maintained a 10-point lead throughout the second period before an alley-oop dunk from center Amida Brimah ignited a 12-4 Warriors run to close the gap to as little as two points, 55-53 with two minutes remaining. However, the Vipers managed to fend off the Sea Dubs to enter the break with a 63-57 lead. 

The Sea Dubs closed the gap to just one point, 72-71, with less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter before a three-point play from forward Jackson Rowe gave Santa Cruz their first lead of the contest, 76-74. The Warriors extended their lead with a Green three-pointer as time expired to end the third frame with an 89-78 lead. Santa Cruz widened the gap in the fourth quarter to lead by as many as 20 points, 103-83, halfway through the frame before Rio Grande Valley responded and cut the deficit to just six points in the final minutes. Despite the offensive burst from the visiting Vipers, the Sea Dubs hung on to clinch a 116-111 victory and sweep the series. 

The Sea Dubs will next face the NBA G League Ignite at Kaiser Permanente Arena on Friday, March 15 in the first leg of a back-to-back series at 7 p.m. (PT). The team will temporarily change their name to the Santa Cruz Surfers for this game to honor the rich surfing history and culture in Santa Cruz. The first 1,000 fans in attendance will recieve a Santa Cruz Surfers pennant and the opportunity to bid on limited-edition Santa Cruz Surfers themed jerseys. 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.