SANTA CRUZ — Centers Charles Bassey and Marques Bolden, and forward Jacksen Moni all posted double-doubles, but the Santa Cruz Warriors lost 113-104 to the South Bay Lakers at KP Arena on Sunday night.
The Warriors (13-14 overall) remain in ninth place in the Western Conference, with nine games left in the regular season. They’re 1 1/2 games behind eighth-place Sioux Falls (16-14). The top eight teams in each conference advance to the playoffs.
Santa Cruz faces the host Cleveland Charge (18-9) at Public Auditorium in Ohio on Friday at 4 p.m. to kick off a three-game road trip.
Bassey finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds for his 11th straight double-double and fourth consecutive 20-plus point outing. Bolden totaled 13 points and 12 rebounds, and Moni had 14 points and 11 rebounds.
The Lakers (19-8), who made 18 3-pointers, took command in the second quarter. They outscored Santa Cruz 29-14 over the final 5:25 to take a 67-52 lead into halftime and won the third quarter 32-27.
Santa Cruz shot 41.3% (38 of 92) from the field and 27.3% (9 of 33) from beyond the arc.
Guard Chance McMillian finished with 16 points and five assists for the Warriors, and guard Taevion Kinsey tallied 14 points and four assists. Forward Ja’Vier Francis had eight points, seven rebounds, and a career-high six blocks.
South Bay shot 46.7% (43 of 92) from the field.
Forward Adou Thiero, on assignment from the Los Angeles Lakers, led South Bay with 25 points and six rebounds. Assignment guard Bronny James Jr., two-way guard Nick Smith Jr., and two-way guard Chris Mañon each scored 15 points, and forward Anton Watson had 10 points and six rebounds.
THE SCORE
Lakers 113, Warriors 104
Up next: Santa Cruz at Cleveland
When: Friday, 4 p.m.
TV: NBC Sports Bay Area+