Santa Cruz Warriors Upend Oklahoma City Blue, 116-106

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SANTA CRUZ, CA – The Santa Cruz Warriors (1-0) defeated the Oklahoma City Blue (0-1) in the first game of this week’s back-to-back, 116-106, at Kaiser Permanente Arena.

Elijah Pemberton led the Warriors with 31 points and added five rebounds, while LJ Figueroa followed closely with 29 points and finished with eight rebounds. Forward Kalob Ledoux finished with 21 points and guard Kendall Smith added 13 points, eight rebounds and 14 assists.

Guard Rob Edwards led the Blue with 29 points off the bench, and forward Olivier Sarr totaled 13 points and 19 rebounds. Guard Jaylen Hoard added 12 points and seven rebounds in the loss to Santa Cruz.

The two teams were neck and neck throughout the first quarter going into the second tied at 31, with Santa Cruz’s Pemberton and Figueroa combining for 20 of the Warriors points. Edwards led Oklahoma City with 13 first quarter points off the bench. The game stayed competitive in the second quarter, but a late give and go between Warriors Smith and Figueroa gave the Sea Dubs a 53-50 lead heading into halftime. The Warriors came alive in the third, extending the lead by as many as 17 points, and closed out the quarter with an 89-81 lead over the Blue. With just 7:07 remaining in the fourth quarter, a hoop malfunction caused a delay in the game. However, as the game resumed, the Warriors were able to keep their lead throughout the fourth quarter, earning their first win of the regular season against the Oklahoma City Blue.

The Warriors are back in action tomorrow night against the Oklahoma City Blue at 7 p.m. PST at Kaiser Permanente Arena. For more information on the Santa Cruz Warriors, visit santacruzbasketball.com or call (831) 713-4400.