G League Santa Cruz Warriors

Warriors Fall to the Jam

Published on February 6, 2016 under NBA G League (G League)
Santa Cruz Warriors News Release


BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - The defending NBA D-League Champion Santa Cruz Warriors (12-19) were defeated by the Bakersfield Jam (14-19) 104-101 on Friday at Dignity Health Event Center.

Verdell Jones III paced Santa Cruz with 23 points and 5 rebounds. 2016 NBA D-League All-Star Elliot Williams notched 20 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds while Chris Udofia and Aaron Craft added 14 points apiece.

Terrico White led the Jam with 21 points and 7 rebounds. Cory Jefferson posted a double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds, while Xavier Munford added 17 points and 6 assists.

The opening minutes of the game were closely contested until Santa Cruz went on an 8-0 run to hold a 20-12 advantage with 2:23 remaining in the first. Bakersfield would respond with a 9-2 run in the final two and a half minutes of the quarter to end the frame leading 23-22.

The Jam would begin to pull away in the second quarter, extending its advantage by as many as seven points with just under eight minutes to play in the frame. Santa Cruz would chip away at the deficit to enter the locker room trailing 50-49.

The third quarter would be a tight battle that saw eight lead changes and three ties. Santa Cruz would outshoot Bakersfield 56.5% - 37.5% in the frame and take a six-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Bakersfield slowly cut the Santa Cruz lead in the final quarter, trailing 93-87 with 5:32 left to play. The Jam would go on an 11-2 run to take a 98-95 lead with just over three minutes remaining in the game. Following the Jam run, Elliot Williams and Aaron Craft would score back-to-back buckets to give Santa Cruz a 99-98 at the 2:33 mark.

Bakersfield took a 102-99 lead off of two made baskets by Kyle Casey and Terrico White. With less than thirty seconds to play, Craft would get a steal and connect with Chris Udofia for a dunk to cut the deficit to one point with 17.2 seconds to play.

After two made free throws by the Jam, Santa Cruz would gain possession of the ball trailing 104-101 with 2.8 seconds remaining. Elliot Williams would miss a three point shot off of the inbound pass to give Bakersfield the 104-101 victory over Santa Cruz.

The Santa Cruz Warriors return home to face the Reno Bighorns on Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. PST. Fans can watch the game on ESPNU.

Check out the Santa Cruz Warriors Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



NBA G League Stories from February 6, 2016


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.

OurSports Central