Santa Cruz Warriors Unable to Overcome the Stampede
The Santa Cruz Warriors drop a game to the Idaho Stampede.
More from Warriors News
- 3x champion may come to regret forgoing Golden State Warriors reunion
- Golden State Warriors: History shows USA may need Stephen Curry for more than the Olympics
- Golden State Warriors villain pours on more pain to end USA’s World Cup
- Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry continues philanthropic efforts off the court
- The Dream starting 5 for the Warriors 5 years from now
The Santa Cruz Warriors were unfortunate last Saturday night at Kaiser Permanente Arena, losing to the Idaho Stampede 117-107. Santa Cruz moves to 9-5 on the season, and they will play their next game next Tuesday against the Los Angeles D-Fenders.
Elliot Williams was the leading scorer for Santa Cruz, recording a new D-League regular season career high 40 points. Verdell Jones III was a point shy of his career high, dropping in 25 points and seven assists on the night. Darington Hobson also had a solid outing, showcasing his versatility with 20 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.
Tyus Jones, on assignment from the Minnesota Timberwolves, paced the Stampede with 30 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Jeff Ayres, formerly of the 2014 NBA champion San Antonio Spurs and most recently the first overall pick in the 2015 D-League draft, posted a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Brandon Fields contributed 17 points, while Bryce Dejean-Jones and Jeremy Williams had 15 points a piece.
Both teams came out firing on all cylinders right out of the gates, resulting in five lead changes and seven ties in just the first quarter alone. Inauspiciously for Santa Cruz, Idaho came out on top after the first segment leading by four points, forcing the Warriors to fight an uphill battle for much of the game.
Much unlike Friday’s 99-93 win over the Bakersfield Jam, Santa Cruz proved the most competitive in the first and third quarters rather than the second and fourth. Going into halftime, the Warriors found themselves down 13 points, but a 10-1 run to start the third quarter saw Santa Cruz bring the game within four.
Starting with a technical free throw, Santa Cruz was able to put together a 7-0 run to tie the game at 72. They would get another four points to push their advantage, but Idaho clawed back to tie the game at 78 following a number of timely free throws. They’d end the quarter on a three from Williams, putting them up three over Santa Cruz heading into the fourth.
Ironically referred to as a “fourth quarter team” by head coach Casey Hill, Santa Cruz was helpless in their attempt to stop and/or match Idaho’s offensive production, giving up a trifecta of the three-pointers and two dunks. Talking after the game, Coach Hill expressed his disappointment with the team when asked about the defensive effort.
“It’s just they (Idaho) were ready to play, and we weren’t,” Hill said. “We came out flat, again. I made it a point to say something to them about that in the pregame about our slow starts.”
“And our defense was just BAD.”
When asked about what he could do to bring an end to the slow starts, Hill replied that he can only do so much, and that it’s really up to the team to get their commitment level to where it needs to be.
“Ball’s in their court,” Hill said.
“At the end of the day, we need an emotional leader that’s gonna help us have stronger starts to games, and I feel like we’re lacking that right now.
If you’re interested in watching Saturday’s game, click the video below: