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Santa Cruz Warriors Fall Victim to Rio Grande Valley Vipers

By Angelo Mendoza

Feb 4, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Louisiana Tech Bulldogs guard Alex Hamilton (0) warms up before playing against the Rice Owls at Tudor Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 4, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Louisiana Tech Bulldogs guard Alex Hamilton (0) warms up before playing against the Rice Owls at Tudor Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports /
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 Santa Cruz Warriors suffer 155-148 defeat on the road at the hands of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on Monday.

The Santa Cruz Warriors (11-10) ended their back-to-back series in Texas with a 155-148 loss to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (15-8) on Monday at State Farm Arena. Santa Cruz now travels back to Kaiser Permanente Arena, hoping to defend home court from the visiting Canton Charge on Wednesday.

Rookie Alex Hamilton had his best performance this season by far, leading all scorers with 35 points on 11-for-14 shooting from the field (78.5%), 1-for-2 shooting from behind the arc, and 12-for-15 shooting from the free throw line. He also had two rebounds, four assists, and three steals in 30 minutes off the bench.

LaDontae Henton was also excellent for Santa Cruz in their Monday afternoon matchup with RGV, dropping in 32 points on 12-for-21 shooting from the field (57.1%), 6-for-10 shooting from behind the arc, and 2-for-2 shooting from the free throw line. He added five rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks in a team-high 39 minutes.

Scott Wood was quite the deadeye on Monday, going 7-of-12 from three (58.3%) to finish with 21 points. Dennis Clifford contributed 19 points (9-13 FG), five rebounds, six assists, and two steals, while Phil Pressey notched a double-double with 16 points and 10 assists to go with his five boards.

Next: Phil Pressey Scores 8 of Santa Cruz's Last 11 in OT Win

Golden State Warriors assignee Damian Jones also recorded a double-double, tallying 11 points and 11 rebounds on 5-for-7 shooting (71.4%). Cameron Jones was the only other Santa Cruz player to score in double digits, adding in 10 points on 5-for-7 shooting off the bench.

Four RGV players scored 20+ points a piece — three of which recorded double-doubles.

Darius Morris led the scoring effort for the Vipers, posting 29 points and 14 assists. Gary Payton II had 28 points and 12 rebounds, while Kyle Wiltjer had 26 points and 10 rebounds. Chris Johnson contributed 23 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.

Rio Grande Valley had three other players score in double-digits, including J.P. Tokoto (15), P.J. Hairston (15), and Joshua Smith (13).

Watch this intense, high scoring battle by clicking play on the video below:

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