South Bay Falls Short in Loss to Ignite

In just the second game of the season, the South Bay Lakers fell to the G League Ignite, 115-103, on Wednesday evening. Mac McClung led the way for South Bay (1-1) with a team- high 19 points and Chaundee Brown Jr. finished closely behind with 15 points on the night. Jaden Hardy paced the Ignite (1-3) with a game-best 23 points.

All five of the Ignite’s starters scored at least once in the opening period, with Dakarai Allen and Scoot Henderson leading the way with six points each. The Ignite’s lead ballooned to as big as 10 points in the opening quarter, but a late three-pointer from McClung cut the Ignite’s lead to one point heading into the second. Heading into the half, the Ignite held a 63-55 lead, Jaden Hardy exploded for a 13-point quarter. Brown Jr. chipped in 11 points for South Bay in the first half.

South Bay shot just 25% from the perimeter in the third while the Ignite shot 50% from beyond the arc and extended its lead, 87-77, heading into the final frame. Pooh Jeter helped his team close out the win as he scored eight points in the fourth quarter alone.

Hardy finished his big night with 23 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals. He was one of six Ignite players to score in double figures. Kevin Murphy and MarJon Beauchamp followed with an additional 14 points each. Allen led the Ignite’s second unit with 16 points, two rebounds, one assist, one steal and three blocks.

McClung ended the night with 19 points, three rebounds, three assists and one steal, while Brown Jr. pitched in 15 points, five rebounds, one assist and one block. Stanley Johnson made his South Bay debut and tallied 15 points, four rebounds and four steals in 31 minutes. Paris Bass and Mason Jones each scored 14 points off the bench and Elijah Cain also scored in double digits with 11 points.

South Bay will next host the Oklahoma City Blue on Saturday, November 20 at 5:00pm PT from the UCLA Health Training Center.