Box Score UC Santa Cruz finished the Hotel Paradox Winter Classic as they took on George Fox University. James Townsend scored seventeen points and the Banana Slugs outscored the Bruins by seven in the second half to win 65-62.
Both teams were coming off a loss to Rhodes College in their last game. UC Santa Cruz was coming off a 49-36 loss to the Lynx on Friday and the Bruins were coming off a 86-70 loss to the Lynx on Saturday. Both games were in Santa Cruz.
The Bruins would start quickly with a 7-2 run capped by a Thomas Rico layup with 15:39 left in the half. The Bruins would hold their lead for the rest of the half as the closest that the Banana Slugs would get was two on three different occasions, the third occasion coming with 5:15 left at 24-22 after a Tre Weston layup. The Bruins would gain their largest lead of the game, at eight, at 32-24 with 4:13 left in the half on a Jonny Howard three pointer. Jared Ponce and Weston would both hit two free throws for the final points of the half for either team as the Bruins would lead at halftime 32-28.
In the second half, the Slugs would cut into the Bruins' lead and then took the lead, at 39-38, on a Weston layup with 15:24 left. The two teams would then trade the lead back and forth through the remainder of the game. The Banana Slugs would take the lead for good on a Weston layup, at 63-62, with 1:06 left. After forcing a turnover by Howard with eight seconds left, Marshal Arnwine Jr. would hit two free throws to give the Banana Slugs a 65-62 lead. The Banana Slugs forced another Howard turnover and the Slugs would win 65-62. The win gives the Banana Slugs their fifth win of the season.
Townsend had a game high seventeen points for the Banana Slugs. Howard had twelve points for the Bruins. Jared Ponce had thirteen points and Weston had twelve points, off the bench, for the Banana Slugs in the win. Eli Graham had eleven points for the Bruins.
The Banana Slugs shot 43.4% (23-53) from the field, 26.1% (6-23) from the three point line and was 76.5% (13-17) from the free throw line. The Bruins shot 42.6% (23-54) from the field, 27.3% (6-22) from the three point line and 71.4% (10-14) from the foul line. UC Santa Cruz's defense forced eighteen Bruin turnovers scoring fifteen points off the turnovers while the Bruins' defense forced fourteen turnovers by UC Santa Cruz scoring seventeen points off the turnovers. George Fox outrebounded UC Santa Cruz 35-31 but the Banana Slugs had five more steals (13-8) than did the Bruins.
Tonight's game was the final home game for the men's basketball team for the 2014 calendar year. The next game for the Banana Slugs is December 29th as they take on Whittier College in Whittier as a part of the Purple and Gold Poet Classic. Tipoff is set for 8 pm.
