SANTA CRUZ—Santa Cruz Warriors forward Lester Quinones recorded a game-high 24 points in a 122-118 loss to the G League Ignite at Kaiser Permanente Arena on Friday night.
Quinones added five rebounds and fellow teammate Gui Santos followed closely with 18 points.
Santa Cruz center Trevion Williams finished the night with a double-double, notching 13 points and 10 rebounds to go along with nine assists.
Center Jayce Johnson closed out the evening with 15 points and seven rebounds off the bench for Santa Cruz.
Ignite guard Pooh Jeter had a team-high 22 points and six assists off the bench, while center Eric Mika added 12 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Forward Leonard Miller finished with 13 points and five rebounds for the Ignite.
The Ignite went on an 11-0 run to open the contest and were able to secure a 34-20 lead heading into the second quarter.
The Warriors came within six points in the second quarter but 15 first-half points from Jeter helped the Ignite hold a 67-59 lead going into halftime.
The Ignite led going into the final frame with a 97-90 lead over the Sea Dubs.
Warriors guard Dusty Hannahs drained back-to-back 3-point shots midway through the fourth quarter, giving them their first lead in the contest at 112-109.
The Sea Dubs found themselves trailing, 120-118, with 32 seconds remaining in the game. But a jump shot by Jeter helped secure the win for the Ignite.
Santa Cruz will travel to Las Vegas to square off against Fort Wayne and Capital City for the final two games of the 2022 AT&T Winter Showcase.
The Warriors will play the Mad Ants on Tuesday at noon on NBA TV, followed by the finale against the Go-Go on Wednesday at 2pm on ESPN2.
Western Conference rivals South Bay Lakers, Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Ontario Clippers and Iowa Wolves are four of eight teams competing in the Showcase Cup Tournament, which is a single-elimination competition for a chance at a $10,000 prize.
College Park Skyhawks, Cleveland Charge, Windy City Bulls and Maine Celtics will represent the Eastern Conference.
Santa Cruz will begin the regular season with back-to-back games against the Stockton Kings on Dec. 29 and 30 at Kaiser Permanente Arena. Both games are slated for a 7pm tipoff.
