Santa Cruz were looking for back-to-back wins over the Rip City Remix, with Reece Beekman's team-high 24 points having led them to a 126-109 victory at Chiles Center in Portland on Saturday night.
Beekman struggled in shooting just 1-of-10 from the field in the first-half of Monday's game, but the two-way contracted guard again proved decisive in a dominant stretch during the fourth period that helped the Warriors escape with a 112-109 win.
Reece Beekman was impressive in the closing minutes against the Remix
After an offensive struggle that saw them down 57-47 at half-time, Santa Cruz burst to life with a dominant third period that was led by Kevin Knox II. The former top 10 pick had three 3-pointers in the first two minutes of the third-quarter, with the Warriors eventually winning the period 35-15 to turn a 10-point deficit into a 10-point lead entering the fourth.
The Remix weren't about to go away quietly though as another former NBA lottery pick, James Bouknight, led a response that saw the game tied at 94-94 with just over five minutes remaining. Beekman then took over, scoring the Warriors' next nine points to re-establish a five-point lead.
The 23-year-old nailed a clutch 3-pointer, got to the free throw line, and finished in the paint twice after a pair of spin moves during a three-minute sequence. It wasn't Beekman's best game necessarily, but his close in the final period was nonetheless a major positive for the Warriors.
Beekman finished with 18 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals in 33 minutes, finishing as a game-high +12 in the three-point win. It was Knox who led Santa Cruz in scoring, with the 25-year-old going for 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting while adding eight rebounds, two assists and three blocks.
After recording 19 points and six rebounds in his return from injury on Friday, rookie center Quinten Post had 13 points and seven boards on 4-of-8 shooting in 27 minutes. Forward Jackson Rowe had a 17-point, 13-rebound double-double in a team-high 36 minutes, while Yuri Collins and Donta Scott were also in double figures scoring.
Santa Cruz have moved to a 6-5 record on the season and will now head to Stockton to face the Kings at Adventist Health Arena on Wednesday.
