Santa Cruz Comeback Attempt Falls Short
March 18, 2016 - NBA G League (G League)
Santa Cruz Warriors News Release
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - The defending NBA D-League Champion Santa Cruz Warriors (16-27) fell to the Oklahoma City Blue (17-27) 114-108 Friday night at Kaiser Permanente Arena.
Verdell Jones III and Darington Hobson paced Santa Cruz with 26 points apiece. Daniel Coursey scored 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting, while Mychel Thompson and Portland Trailblazers assignee Cliff Alexander each added 10 points.
Talib Zanna led the way for the Blue with 29 points and 18 rebounds, his sixteenth double-double of the season. Oklahoma City Thunder forward Josh Huestis scored 21 points on 9-of-15 shooting, while Dakari Johnson added 17 points in the victory over Santa Cruz.
Oklahoma City jumped out to an early lead behind an 11-2 run to start the first quarter. The Blue extended their advantage to 12 points with a 12-5 run to grab their largest lead by the 2:00 mark in the first quarter. The Blue would maintain their distance to enter the second quarter with a 29-17 lead.
Oklahoma City would preserve control of the game in the second period, extending their advantage to as many as 18 points to enter the break with a 59-43 lead.
The Warriors outscored the Blue 34-27 in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 9 points to enter the final frame. Santa Cruz spurred an 8-0 run to pull within five at the three minute mark in the fourth quarter and would cut its deficit to three off a pair of foul shots with 15.4 seconds to play. The Blue's Zanna scored nine points with five boards in the final quarter to help hold off the Warriors and clinch the road win.
The Santa Cruz Warriors play the Oklahoma City Blue again tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at Kaiser Permanente Arena. Fans can watch the game on the NBA D-League's YouTube channel, via www.santacruzbasketball.com.
• Discuss this story on the NBA G League message board...
NBA G League Stories from March 18, 2016
- Santa Cruz Comeback Attempt Falls Short - Santa Cruz Warriors
- Blue Tops Warriors in Santa Cruz - Oklahoma City Blue
- Bighorns Cruise to Victory over the Spurs - Reno Bighorns
- Skyforce Clinch Central Division Title with 113-93 Win over Charge - Sioux Falls Skyforce
- Charge Stumble in Sioux Falls - Cleveland Charge
- Austin Spurs Fall to Reno Bighorns 121-115 - Austin Spurs
- Energy Take Down Red Claws - Maine Celtics
- BayHawks Set Franchise Record for Offensive Rebounds in Loss to Knicks - Erie BayHawks
- Westchester Knicks Blow Away BayHawks in Win - Westchester Knicks
- Iowa Energy Win Big over the Red Claws - Iowa Wolves
- Bucks Assign Vaughn to Canton Charge - Cleveland Charge
- Drive Add Bruce Massey to Active Roster - Grand Rapids Drive
- Detroit Pistons Sign Guard Lorenzo Brown to a 10-Day Contract - Grand Rapids Drive
- Last-Second Shot Sinks Legends - Texas Legends
- Terrico White's Game-Winner Lifts Jam Past Legends - Bakersfield Jam
- Stampede Halt D-Fenders - Idaho Stampede
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
Other Recent Santa Cruz Warriors Stories
- Kendric Davis Named to 2023-24 NBA G League All-Rookie Team
- Warriors Convert Usman Garuba to Standard NBA Contract
- Santa Cruz Warriors Outlast the Rip City Remix in 131-124 Road Win
- Santa Cruz Warriors Fall to South Bay Lakers, 120-117
- Santa Cruz Warriors Acquire Center Nate Roberts
