Sea Dubs Starters Power Santa Cruz To 111-102 Victory Over Austin

CEDAR PARK, TX - Behind double-digit scoring performances from all five starters, the Santa Cruz Warriors (3-2) defeated the Austin Spurs (1-3) 111-102 on Wednesday evening at the H-E-B Center at Cedar Park.

Two-way forward Malevy Leons led the Warriors with 20 points and eight rebounds, shooting 7-for-11 from the floor. The Santa Cruz centers both notched double-doubles as Charles Bassey finished with 17 points, 17 rebounds, and six blocks, while Marques Bolden recorded 15 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks. Guard Chance McMillan contributed 18 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while guard Taevion Kinsey scored 17 points of his own to round out the Warriors’ offensive attack. 

Two-way forward Stanley Umude led all scorers with 26 points. Two-way guard David Jones Garcia notched a double-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists, and four steals. Recording a double-double of his own, guard Elfrid Payton logged 16 points, 10 rebounds, and three steals off the bench. Guard Jayden Nunn tallied 15 points and nine rebounds, while center Osayi Osifo recorded 10 points and eight rebounds. 

Five points off the bench from Miller Jr. for the Sea Dubs and a trio of long-range connections from Austin saw the game tied at 13 points apiece halfway through the first quarter. A 7-0 run gave Austin its first lead, 24-20, with 3:02 left in the opening frame; however, Santa Cruz responded with six unanswered points of their own to take a narrow 26-24 advantage into the second quarter. Bolstered by nine straight points from Leons and 0-for-7 shooting by the Spurs to start the second quarter, Santa Cruz earned the first double-digit lead of the game, pulling ahead by as much as 13 points four minutes into the period. Led by Umude’s 12 points in the frame, the Spurs initiated a 19-7 run to cut the deficit to one point with 3:32 left in the half. The Warriors dominated the first-half glass with a 34-19 rebounding advantage, regaining a multi-possession lead capped by a McMillian buzzer-beating three-pointer to enter halftime ahead 59-50.

Following a second quarter in which both sides shot over 45% from deep, the long-range attack diminished in the third as the Warriors and Spurs combined to shoot 3-of-14 from beyond the arc. With the perimeter scoring stifled, the offensive battle shifted to the paint, where 40 of the quarter’s 56 points were scored in the lane. The Spurs trimmed the deficit to four points multiple times, but Santa Cruz used a late 6-0 run to regain a double-digit lead and entered the fourth quarter ahead 87-78. The offensive pace slowed to start the fourth quarter, as the eight combined points from Kinsey and Galloway saw the Warriors outscore the Spurs by one point through the first six minutes of the final frame to stay ahead 95-85. Austin was able to make it a five-point game, 105-100, thanks to a quarter-high 10 points from Jones Garcia with 1:20 remaining on the clock. However, Leons and Bassey were each able to knock down a pair of crucial shots from the charity stripe with less than 30 seconds to play, holding off the Spurs comeback attempt and guiding the Warriors to a 111-102 victory.

The Warriors will stay in Austin to face the Spurs for the second time on Friday, January 2, with tip-off scheduled for 5 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@goldenstate.com, or visit santacruzbasketball.com for more information.