South Bay Grinds Out Opening Night Thriller

The South Bay Lakers hosted their season opener against the Stockton Kings as they took home the victory, 127-122, on Saturday evening. L.J. Figueroa led the Lakers (1-0) in scoring with 27 points and Devin Cannady added a 26-point performance, including six three-pointers, in the winning effort. DJ Steward paced the Kings (0-1) with a team-high 31 points.

The Kings got off to a quick 8-0 start behind five quick points from Neemias Queta. South Bay then responded behind three first quarter three-pointers from Figueroa, the most the former Oregon Duck has ever made in a single quarter. Jordan Ford’s eight first-quarter points, combined with Queta’s seven, kept Stockton within touching distance as the first quarter ended with South Bay up 35-31. The second quarter saw both teams catch fire from long distance. Both Cannady and Max Christie hit two three pointers for the Lakers. DJ Steward hit two threes himself and totaled 12 points in the period. The tug-o- war between both teams continued with the Kings going into the half up 64-59.

Going into the half down five points, South Bay quickly erased the lead behind a three from Cannady and tip layup from Figueroa to tie the score at 64. It was a team effort in the third period with four starters scoring over five points. Chima Moneke boosted the Kings in the second half of the period, tallying seven points in the quarter. However, South Bay’s stellar defense and hustle helped them outscore the Kings 37-26 in the quarter and take a six-point lead into the fourth.

Stockton’s one two guard punch of Steward and Keon Ellis both came to play in the final period with the tandem putting up 10 and nine points respectively. For the Lakers, it continued to be a win-by- committee performance with Figueroa and Cannady continuing to lead the way, providing huge shots down the stretch. The game followed its back and forth pace until Figueroa followed up his own miss with a tip-in to give South Bay a five-point lead with 33 seconds remaining.

Figueroa put together a final line of 27 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal and two blocks while Cannady finished with 26 points and four assists. Jay Huff contributed 16 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks. Christie led the bench unit with 18 points while Scotty Pippen Jr. added 10 of his own and Nate Pierre Louis posted 10 points and two steals.

South Bay will host the G League Ignite on Monday, November 7 at 7:00pm from the UCLA Health Training Center.