Santa Cruz Warriors Win in Iowa for 5th Straight Win

The Santa Cruz Warriors win 99-96 at Wells Fargo Arena on Tuesday against the Iowa Energy.

The Santa Cruz Warriors (7-7) began their three-game road trip with a Tuesday evening matchup against the Iowa Energy (2-13) at Wells Fargo Arena, winning the game 99-96 in a comeback victory. Santa Cruz extends their winning streak to five games after Tuesday’s victory.

Elgin Cook paced the Sea Dubs with 17 points off the bench (8-11 FG), eight rebounds, and three steals. Alex Hamilton again filled in for Phil Pressey (hamstring) as the starting point guard, posting 16 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals, and one block. Cameron Jones started opposite Hamilton in the backcourt, contributing 15 points (7-14 FG), five rebounds, two assists, and four steals.

Dennis Clifford saw his way back into the starting lineup for the Warriors after missing the last game with food poisoning, tallying 13 points (4-7 FG) and nine rebounds. He was a team-high +12 on the night. Despite a poor shooting night, Scott Wood had 13 points and four rebounds, while LaDontae Henton continued to impress with 11 points and three rebounds off the bench.

As for Golden State Warriors assignee Damian Jones: four points, four rebounds, one block, one foul, two turnovers, 2-for-8 shooting from the field, and 0-for-2 shooting from the free throw line. He was a team-low -10 in 20 minutes played , and he also had two of his shots blocked.

This was definitely not the best game for the 7-footer, who posted 17 points (7-10 FG, 3-4 FT), nine rebounds, four assists, and two blocks in their last game against the Northern Arizona Suns at Kaiser Permanente Arena.

Iowa’s Terry Whisnant led all scorers with 29 points (10-25 FG) and seven rebounds. JaKarr Simpson had 21 points (10-20 FG) off the bench to go with his eight rebounds and three assists. Perry Jones III added 14 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Matt Costello recorded a double-double in the loss to Santa Cruz, posting 13 points (6-13 FG), 18 rebounds, three assists, and seven blocks.

The Santa Cruz Warriors will continue on their road trip, stopping by Sanford Pentagon in South Dakota for a 4:30 p.m. PST contest on Wednesday against the reigning D-League Champion Sioux Falls Skyforce (10-3).

Surf City fans can catch the Sioux Falls game via Facebook Live. For Tuesday’s win over Iowa, please refer to the video replay below: