Golden State Warriors

Santa Cruz Warriors Nab First Road Win of 2016-17 Season

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Santa Cruz Warriors earn their first road win of the season on the tail end of a 5-game road trip, defeating the Delaware 87ers 116-102.

The Santa Cruz Warriors (3-7) finally snapped their 6-game losing streak and earned their first road win of the 2016-17 regular season on Tuesday at the University of Delaware‘s Bob Carpenter Sports Convocation Center, beating the Delaware 87ers (3-5) 116-102.

Floor general Phil Pressey paced the Santa Cruz Warriors with 21 points on 8-for-16 shooting, adding in three rebounds and three assists. Right behind him was the ever-so-exciting Elgin Cook, who finished with 20 points and five rebounds.

SCW vet Cameron Jones posted 18 points, three rebounds, five assists and three steals, while Dennis Clifford and Scott Wood added 14 points a piece. Recently acquired Carl Ona-Embo had his best game for Santa Cruz thus far, notching 13 points (4-8 FG, 3-4 3P, 2-3 FT) and three rebounds.

7-foot rookie center Damian Jones, still on assignment from Golden State Warriors, had four points (2-3 FG), five rebounds, one block, five fouls, and four turnovers. Since being fully cleared to play after undergoing surgery to treat his right pectoral muscle, Jones has displayed a better feel for the game every contest despite always being in foul trouble.

Jones continues to seem a bit complacent offensively, but his ability to screen defenders has proven invaluable within the flow of Santa Cruz’s offense. With Pressey at the helm, Jones has yet to demonstrate reliability as the roll man, but his big body almost always seems to free up space for Pressey to operate.

Jones remains a solid defender on the other end, bothering shots at the rim and hedging on the pick-and-roll. There are a few times when he’ll rotate too far over and give up inside passing lanes, but he continues to be one of Santa Cruz’s best defenders.

Delaware’s Cat Barber led all scorers with 31 points on 12-for-17 shooting, 4-for-5 from behind the arc. Shawn Long had 16 points and nine rebounds, while Lorenzo Wade scored 16 points on 8-for-15 shooting. James Webb III rounded out the double-digit scorers for Delaware, tallying 12 points and five rebounds.

The Santa Cruz Warriors will finally make their return to Kaiser Permanente Arena on Friday, Dec. 9 to host the Austin Spurs at 7:00 p.m. PST. Fans unable to make the game will be able to watch via Facebook Live.

For Tuesday’s win over the Delaware 87ers, please refer to the video below: