South Bay Lakers Hold Off Texas Legends

The South Bay Lakers (3-7) took down the Texas Legends (4-9) Wednesday night at UCLA Health Training Center. Lakers guard Jordan Goodwin notched a double-double and recorded his seventh straight contest scoring in double-figures with 18 points to go with a season-high 10 rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block. 

South Bay started strong, building a nine-point lead in the first eight minutes of play, but a  10-2 run by Texas allowed the Legends to close the quarter ahead 24-21. The Lakers fought back in the second, outscoring the Legends 32-21 to take an eight-point lead into halftime. South Bay held off Texas through the third quarter, finishing the quarter with a 76-72 advantage. In the final period of play, the Lakers extended their lead to as many as 11 points with just over six minutes to go. A cutting dunk by Lakers two-way forward Armel Traoré with 20 seconds on the clock extended the lead to six points and sealed the victory at home.

Traoré finished the game with a team-high 19 points to go with eight rebounds, one assist and one block. Forward Solomon Young shot 50 percent from deep, contributing 18 points, seven rebounds, three assists and one steal. Guard Sir’Jabari Rice recorded his fourth consecutive game in double-digit scoring with 15 points off the bench along with two rebounds, two assists and one steal. 

Legends guard Jazian Gortman posted a game-high 25 points off the bench, adding two rebounds, five assists and two steals. Forward Teafale Lenard Jr. recorded 16 points off the bench with four rebounds, two assists and one steal. Forward Warith Alatishe and guard Jarod Lucas rounded out the Legends offense with double-digit points. The Lakers outscored the Legends in second-chance opportunities, scoring 13 points off 14 offensive rebounds, while the latter managed eight points on six offensive boards.

The South Bay Lakers play the Texas Legends once more at home at UCLA Health Training Center at 7 p.m. Jan. 31. Fans can click here to purchase tickets.