The Canton Charge (12-8), presented by SecureData 365 and powered by the Cleveland Cavaliers, fell to the Santa Cruz Warriors (11-5), 98-83, at the Kaiser Permanente Arena on Saturday night. The two teams will meet again in the inaugural NBA Development League Showcase Cup back in Santa Cruz after splitting the pair of games this weekend. Canton will be the six seed in the eight-team tournament beginning on January 15th, while Santa Cruz earned the number three seed.
Canton trailed the entire game tonight after leading for the entire duration of last night's victory. Santa Cruz had the hot hand shooting tonight, hitting a Canton opponent season-high 57% from the field and assisting on 36 of their 43 field goals. The Charge conversely struggled to find the bottom of the net as a unit, hitting a season low 38% from the field in never being able to find a rhythm.
Arinze Onuaku posted his sixth consecutive double-double and 11th in just 14 games played this season with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting with 16 boards in 46 minutes. Jorge Gutierrez scored 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting with six rebounds and a steal in 33 minutes in his first game back with the Charge. Justin Johnson provided a spark by scoring 13 of his 19 points in the second quarter in 25 minutes off the bench overall. Brandon Paul added 19 points and four rebounds in 40 minutes for Canton.
Mychel Thompson led the Warriors with 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting and two blocks in 40 minutes. Elliot Williams contributed a double-double of 17 points and 12 assists in 39 minutes, while James Michael McAdoo supplied a double-double of his own with 15 points and 10 boards in 31 minutes. Taylor Griffin added 16 points in 29 minutes off the bench.
The Charge are back on the road for Atlantic Division play with a visit to the Erie BayHawks on Friday, January 9th at 7:00 p.m. Canton returns to the Civic Center on Saturday, January 10th at 7:00 p.m. for a matchup with the Westchester Knicks (New York Knicks affiliate)! To view the 2014-15 Canton Charge home schedule complete with promotions and special deals, head to www.CantonCharge.com/promotions.
Group discounts are available for parties of 20 or more and Fan Experience Packages, such as being a part of the high five tunnel or playing on the Charge court, are available! For 2014-15 Charge Nation Memberships, game day promotions and up-to-date information, head to www.CantonCharge.com or call 866-444-1944.
The Canton Charge, presented by SecureData 365, are part of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Quicken Loans Arena organization and also owned by a group led by Cavaliers Majority Owner and Quicken Loans Founder and Chairman Dan Gilbert. The group also owns and operates the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League and the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League, both of which play their games at Quicken Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland.
Fans can stay up-to-date on team news by following the team at: @CantonCharge on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CantonCharge and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CantonCharge.
