Santa Cruz Warriors Winning Streak Ends in Sioux Falls
The Santa Cruz Warriors lost 112-107 on Wednesday against the Sioux Falls Skyforce at Sanford Pentagon.
The Santa Cruz Warriors had their five-game winning streak snapped on the road against the Sioux Falls Skyforce at the Sanford Pentagon on Wednesday, losing 112-107.
With Phil Pressey still nursing a hamstring injury, Alex Hamilton once again filled in as the starting floor general, pacing the Warriors for 21 points, six rebounds, eight assists, four steals, and one block. LaDontae Henton contributed 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists off the bench, while Cameron Jones scored 12 points, seven rebounds, and three assists starting alongside Hamilton.
Dennis Clifford tallied 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists. Scott Wood and James Southerland scored 12 points a piece, while Mychel Thompson added 11 points and five boards in the loss to Sioux Falls.
Damian Jones had seven points (3-6 FG, 1-2 FT), four rebounds, and one assist in 22 minutes off the bench.
Skyforce center Keith Benson led all scorers with 23 points (6-10 FG, 11-12 FT), seven rebounds, and three blocks. Jabril Trawick had 22 points (6-11 FG, 9-12 FT), eight rebounds, and three assists, while Patrick Miller notched 15 points off the bench.
Luis Montero — whom many Santa Cruz fans may remember being assigned to the Warriors last season via the Portland Trailblazers — contributed 14 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. Ike Nwamu posted 12 points and five boards. Henry Walker added 10 points in the win over Surf City.
Both teams went into the final quarter tied at 75. Sioux Falls made the first move to take an early lead, but the Sea Dubs retook the advantage for a short time with roughly eight-and-a-half minutes left.
It was at that point that Sioux Falls dug deep to close out the game, shooting a combined 24 free throw attempts in the fourth to Santa Cruz’s 13 FTA’s. The game ended with the Warriors having shot and rebounded better, but it was Sioux Falls going 36-of-51 from the charity stripe to Santa Cruz’s 27-of-39 that won the game in the end.
Prior to the Golden State Warriors facing off against the Cleveland Cavaliers for their 11:30 p.m. PST matchup on Christmas Day at Quicken Loans Arena in Ohio, the Santa Cruz Warriors will conclude their most recent road trip with a 4:00 p.m. PST matchup against the Erie Bayhawks at the Erie Insurance Arena on Friday.
Santa Cruz will return home to Kaiser Permanente Arena after the holidays to host a 7:00 p.m. PST rematch against Sioux Falls on Tuesday, Dec. 27.
For the full replay of Wednesday’s close game in Sioux Falls:
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