Quincy Olivari Drops 35 Points in South Bay Defeat

The South Bay Lakers (13-17) were defeated by the Sioux Falls Skyforce (16-14) 117-113 Friday night at the Sanford Pentagon. Guard Quincy Olivari scored a career-high 35 points to go with six rebounds and two assists.

The Lakers ignited off the bat with a 13-3 run, but the Skyforce quickly settled in with two-way guard Josh Christopher draining 16 of his own points in the first quarter. South Bay scored 10 points off Sioux Fall’s seven turnovers in the first period to edge the Skyforce by a 31-24-point margin. Sioux Falls found momentum through the second quarter and outshot South Bay by a 44.0 percent to 29.4 percent margin from the field to finish the first half with a 52-47-point advantage. The Skyforce dominated the paint in the third period, outscoring the Lakers by an 18 to six-point margin in the key to enter the final quarter seven points ahead. South Bay battled and took the lead with 9:15 to play but Sioux Falls pulled away and took an 11-point lead in the final 44 seconds to secure the victory.

Lakers forward Stanley Johnson tallied 18 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals. Forward Cole Swider recorded 16 points, five rebounds, one assist, two steals and one block while center Kylor Kelley notched his second consecutive double-figure scoring game with 10 points, six rebounds, two assists and a game-high four blocks. Guards Sir’Jabari Rice and Jhonathan Dunn both added 10 points off the bench.

Christopher finished with a game-high 38 points to go with five rebounds, six assists, a game-high five steals and two blocks. Guard Alondes Williams notched 21 points off the bench with three rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block. Forward Nassir Little coupled 15 points and 11 rebounds with two assists and one steal while guard Isaiah Stevens added 11 points, two rebounds and 10 assists. Center Malik Williams and guard Caleb Daniels both registered double-figure points.

The South Bay Lakers next return home to UCLA Health Training Center to play the Santa Cruz Warriors in a back-to-back March 24 and 25 at 7 p.m. Fans can click here to purchase tickets.