South Bay Falls to Austin

The South Bay Lakers (5-13) fell to the Austin Spurs (13-6) 108-88 Thursday night at home at UCLA Health Training Center. Forward Stanley Johnson led South Bay in his second consecutive game with 20+ points, finishing the night with 25 points, a team-high eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks.

In a back-and-forth first quarter, the Lakers finished with a 25-22 point lead. Guards Jhonathan Dunn and Sir’Jabari Rice ignited South Bay’s offense in the second period with consecutive baskets made from deep. However, the Spurs found momentum and finished the half with a 53-47-point lead, outscoring the Lakers by nine points. South Bay came back from the half refueled and tied the game with consecutive three-pointers by guard Quincy Olivari and Johnson, but the Spurs responded with a 9-0 run to retake the lead. The Lakers finished the quarter trailing by 10 as Austin held strong, outshooting South Bay by a 52.6 percent to 41.2 percent margin from the field. The Spurs refused a Lakers comeback in the final period and secured the victory by extending their lead to 20 points with a layup by two-way guard David Duke Jr. with 1:12 remaining on the clock.

Lakers two-way center Christian Koloko recorded 12 points, five rebounds, two assists and a team-high four blocks while Rice finished with 14 points, three rebounds, four assists and two steals off the bench. Olivari added 17 points in his 11th regular-season game in double-figure scoring along with three rebounds and two steals. 

Guard Malachi Flynn dropped 25 points with seven rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block. Duke Jr. followed suit with 22 points, eight rebounds, three assists and one steal. Forward Quinton Rose and guard Jameer Nelson Jr. both recorded double-digit points off the bench while forward Ibrahima Diallo added eight points, 10 rebounds, one steal and one block. The Spurs outshot the Lakers from the field by a 44.6 percent to 38.8 percent margin to mark their second straight win. 

The South Bay Lakers will return from All-Star Break Feb. 20 to take on the Rip City Remix at home at UCLA Health Training Center at 7 p.m. Fans can click here to purchase tickets.