Santa Cruz Warriors against the Mexico City Capitanes in a neutral site game on the opening tip at Chase Center in San Francisco on Sun Mar 9, 2025 (Michael Roberson African American Athlete photo)

By Michael Roberson

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The Santa Cruz Warriors (13-12) halted their winless streak (5) after subduing the Mexico City Capitanes (11-14) 118-107 on a Sunday afternoon in the City by the Bay

The Warriors played comfortably in the home arena of their major league namesake, while playing host to the guest from the capital city of our bordering nation to the south, Mexico.

The Capitanes got the fiesta started, by scoring the initial points on the game, on a hook shot by guard David Jones Garcia.The Warriors went on a 8-0 run to get their bearings in their temporary home, a little more than 75 miles north of KPA.

SCW led by as many as 8 points in the first quarter, but settled for a one-point lead (21-20) after the first quadrant. There were two ties and the guests also led twice.

The Warriors extended that one-point lead to a 13-point margin during the second quarter. The feisty team from Mexico chipped away at that double-digit deficit and narrowed it to five, by halftime, 61-56. Five players on both teams reached double-figures at recess.

Pat Spencer (10), Javan Johnson (12) and Braxton Key (11) all led SCW through the first half. David Jones led the Capitanes with 17 points and 6 rebounds, while Greg Brown III contributed 15 points.

In the third quarter, the Warriors had leads of nine and 13 at different points of the stanza. However, Mexico City stormed back and actually led (73-71) at the midway point of the period. Shortly thereafter, the home team opened up the lead again, being up by 11 points (89-78) after 36 minutes of game play.

In the final quarter, a couple of fan favorites were putting up numbers. Trayce Jackson-Davis was sent to the G-League on assignment from his Golden State Warriors roster. He gave SCW 22 points and 8 rebounds.

The other player to get a hefty applause, was former Warrior and proud Mexican-American Juan Toscano-Anderson. He represented Mexico as a member of the Capitanes, the Warriors, for playing in the friendly confines of Chase again, and the Bay , for returning to his roots and hometown area. He messed around and got a Triple-Double (22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists) for his peeps and faithful fans.

The Warriors produced their largest lead (16) in the fourth quarter, and managed to end the game with a double-digits advantage (118-107) at the final buzzer. Four other teammates joined the double-figures brigade. Pat Spence put up 25 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists. Braxton Key helped with 19 points and 8 rebounds, while Blake Hinson (17) and Taran Armstrong (10) gifted their tallies.

In addition to JTA’s triple-double, three other players reached the 10+ points plateau. David Jones had a game-high 33 points and 12 rebounds. Greg Brown III scored 17 points and grabbed 6 rebounds, while Dink Pate chipped in 14 points.

The Warriors are next in action Wednesday, March 12 in Florida to take the Osceola Magic at 7:00 PM ET/4 PM PT. The Capitanes head back south across the border to host the Austin Spurs on Tuesday March 11, TBA.