The Santa Cruz Warriors saw its six-game win streak come to an end following a 122-118 loss to the South Bay Lakers at the UCLA Health Training Center on Monday night.
Bronny James, on assignment from the Los Angeles Lakers, finished with a game-best 39 points to go along with seven rebounds and four steals, while Blake Hinson led the Warriors in scoring with 34 points and four rebounds.
Two-way guard Taran Armstrong came off the bench to contribute 22 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and six steals for Santa Cruz. Teammate Jackson Rowe had 15 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Donta Scott recorded 11 points off the bench.
Santa Cruz guard Yuri Collins filled up the stat sheet with nine points, 12 assists, eight rebounds and a pair of steals.
Sir’Jabari Rice and Joirdon Nicholas, who had a game-high 12 rebounds, combined for 39 points off the bench for South Bay, scoring 20 points and 19 points, respectively. Forward Cole Swider capped off the home team’s offensive production with 14 points and five rebounds.
James handled the brunt of South Bay’s offensive workload to start the game, scoring eight of the team’s first 10 points as the Lakers got out to an early four-point lead four minutes into the game.
After opening the contest shooting 1-of-8 from the floor, Santa Cruz came to life with an 18-2 surge to take a 24-12 advantage with 3:12 remaining in the first quarter. Outside of James, South Bay struggled to find success scoring, making 1-of-11 shot attempts from behind the arc to enter the second quarter trailing Santa Cruz, 26-17.
South Bay began the second quarter on a 12-2 run, erasing Santa Cruz’s lead and taking a 29-28 advantage four minutes into the frame. Rice capitalized on the Warriors’ foul troubles by scoring eight of his 14 second-quarter points at the charity stripe, keeping the Lakers in front, 51-46, with just over two minutes until halftime.
Santa Cruz was bolstered by 17 points off the bench as South Bay continued to struggle shooting from distance, missing on all six of its second-quarter attempts. The Sea Dubs had a 55-53 going into the break.
James and Nicholas combined for 23 of the Lakers’ 35 points across the final 12 minutes of the game. Santa Cruz was unable to chip away at their deficit, trailing 118-105 with 2:56 remaining on the clock.
The Sea Dubs pieced together a last-minute counterattack with a 13-2 run to make it a two-point game with 16.6 seconds remaining in the contest, but their window for a comeback was ultimately slammed shut.
Santa Cruz (18-13) will play South Bay (14-17) on Tuesday at 7pm.
