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ORLANDO, FL – The Santa Cruz Warriors (0-2) lost to the Delaware Blue Coats (2-0) Friday night at AdventHealth Arena, 103-92. Golden State two-way guard Nico Mannion led the Warriors with 22 and added six assists, while Philadelphia Sixers two-way Paul Reed led all scorers with 23 points and tallied 12 rebounds to get his second double-double of the season.
Santa Cruz got off to a slow start shooting .280 FG (9-32) and finished with only 31 points in the first half. Delaware capitalized on 15 first-half turnovers for the Warriors and entered the break with a 16-point lead, 47-31.
The Warriors cut the lead to three (70-67) before the Blue Coats closed out the quarter with an eight-point lead, 75-67. Santa Cruz stayed close through the final quarter but could not close the gap enough to lose their second game of the season, 103-92.
Warriors center Kaleb Wesson earned his first double-double of the season (10 points, 14 rebounds). Axel Toupane earned his second double-double of the season (19 points, 11 rebounds).
Santa Cruz will face the Westchester Knicks on Saturday, February 13 for a 4:30 p.m. (PST) tip on NBC Sports Bay Area Plus. For more information on the Santa Cruz Warriors, visit santacruzbasketball.com or call (831) 713-4400.