South Bay Takes Revenge on Santa Cruz, Dominate in Home Victory

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Behind extraordinary performances from Mason Jones, Paris Bass and Jay Huff, the South Bay Lakers (9-5), the G League affiliate of the Los Angeles Lakers, defeated the Santa Cruz Warriors (6-10) in convincing fashion, 127-89, on Saturday night in a rematch at the UCLA Health Training Center.

Lakers two-way guard Mason Jones led the team in points for the tenth time this season, scoring 27 and adding nine assists in 31 minutes of play. Jay Huff continued his stellar play as of late and recorded a career-high 24 points on an efficient 10-12 field-goal shooting with seven rebounds. Off the bench, Paris Bass recorded 26 points and eight rebounds while Nate Pierre-Louis contributed 11 points, five assists and five steals. Mac McClung also tied a career-high with 12 assists to go with nine rebounds.

South Bay’s defense shined early on, forcing seven turnovers that resulted in 12 of their 26 points in the first quarter. Santa Cruz’s LJ Figueroa paced the Warriors with 11 points on 4-5 field-goal shooting, but South Bay held a narrow lead after 12 minutes of play, 27-26.

Paris Bass, coming off a team-high 22 points on Thursday against Santa Cruz, exploded off the bench for the Lakers in the second quarter, dropping 16 of his 26 points on the night. He made all six shots he took in the quarter, including three three-pointers. South Bay finished the half strong and went into halftime with a 56-48 lead.

The Lakers picked up right where they left off before the break with a dominant third quarter; South Bay starters Mason Jones and Jay Huff scored 11 and 10 points respectively, and the team outscored Santa Cruz by 20 in the quarter to take a commanding 94-66 lead going into the final frame.

South Bay extended their lead to as many as 44 in the fourth quarter, and the team secured a convincing victory, 127-89. The Lakers forced 22 turnovers on the night and held the Warriors to just 38% field-goal shooting for 89 points, the lowest total for an opposing team against South Bay this season.

Elijah Pemberton led the way for Santa Cruz with 27 points (8-10 FG) and eight rebounds off the bench, while Figueroa finished with 25 points (5-11 3PT).

South Bay will look to carry their momentum on the road as they travel to take on the Salt Lake City Stars on Tuesday, February 15 at 6:00 P.M. PT at the Bruin Arena. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.