Santa Cruz Warriors Win Revenge Game vs. Los Angeles

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — After dropping their first game of the season on the road against the Los Angeles D-Fenders last Saturday, the Santa Cruz Warriors were able to successfully defend Kaiser Permanente Arena on Friday night, winning 106-100 to hand the D-Fenders their first loss of the season.

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Much unlike their last game, the Warriors would refuse to let the D-Fenders go into the locker room at halftime with the lead, turning the tables on LA in the second quarter as Santa Cruz surfed their way into the second half on a six-point lead. Led by Elliot Williams‘ 16 points and seven rebounds, Santa Cruz had three players in double-digit scoring, including former Golden State Warriors training camp invite, Juwan Staten (12), and veteran Santa Cruz player, Darington Hobson (10).

As a team, Santa Cruz started red hot from the field, shooting 62.5 percent from the field in the opening segment and finishing the half on 64.7 percent shooting. Opposite the Warriors, the D-Fenders struggled to put the ball in the basket, shooting 40.0 percent on field goals in the first half. With both teams shooting subpar from behind the arc, the difference seemed to be in the paint, where Santa Cruz outscored Los Angeles 30-16 after just two quarters.

The Warriors would solidify their foothold in the third quarter with a 10-2 run, pushing their lead to seven points over LA. The D-Fenders would never regain the lead after continuing to struggle from the field, recording an abysmal 37.1 field goal percentage by the end of the night.

On the flip side once again was Santa Cruz, finishing the game on 54.1 percent shooting despite them going 3-for-11 (27.3 percent) from behind the arc. The focus for Santa Cruz continued to be inside the paint, tallying 52 points inside on 26-for-42 shooting (61.9 percent) to LA’s 34.

Williams paced the Warriors, posting a double-double with a game-high 31 points and 15 rebounds, in addition to his eight assists. Hobson continued to play well throughout the game, finishing with 21 points, seven boards and four assists. Staten also continued his high-level play, ending the night with 18 points.

The main problem for the Warriors was the turnovers, resulting in 23 points given up on 21 total turnovers. This mirrored the Warriors’ performance last Saturday against the D-Fenders, during which the Warriors posted 24 total turnovers. When talking to the media after the game, Santa Cruz head coach Casey Hill said he believes his team could be a significant problem for other teams once they find a way to take care of the ball better.

“We’re still turning the ball over too much,” Hill said. “Once we shore that up…start executing a little bit better offensively, I think we’re gonna be a handful. We’re gonna be tough to deal with.”

2015 NBA D-League All-Star Vander Blue led the D-Fenders with 22 points, adding in four rebounds, five assists and a game-high seven steals. Former Stanford Cardinal Anthony Brown, on assignment from the Los Angeles Lakers, dropped in 20 points, including four three-pointers in the first half alone.

The Warriors now hold a 2-1 regular season record. Back on the road, Santa Cruz looks to keep the momentum going as they prepare to face the Reno Bighorns on Sunday at 6 PM/PT. You can catch the game via the NBA D-League’s official Youtube account, which you can also access via the Santa Cruz Warriors homepage.

Last time the Warriors played Reno was in their lone preseason game in Santa Cruz, in which the Sea Dubs came away with 133-94 blowout win.