Santa Cruz Basketball: Rio Grande Valley Vipers Overwhelm Warriors

The Santa Cruz Warriors were handily defeated, 131-100, on Friday, March 1, 2013. At no time during the game were they able to gain a point advantage over the visiting Vipers. The Rio Grande Valley Vipers, affiliated with the Houston Rockets, play their home games in Hidalgo, Texas, and currently lead the Central Division of the NBA Development League.

The Santa Cruz Warriors, affiliated with the Golden State Warriors, are in second place in the Western Division, which is comprised of five teams. There are six teams in the Central Division, and five in the Eastern Division, for a total of 16 teams in the NBA D-League.

Before moving to Santa Cruz, the Warriors were based in Bismarck, North Dakota, and called the Dakota Wizards. Ironically, their brand new "temporary arena" is named Kaiser Permanente Arena.

The atmosphere on the court, in the bleachers, and overall with the Santa Cruz Warriors basketball team, is fun, upbeat, and positive.

Friday's halftime entertainment featured the skillful and coordinated UC Santa Cruz cheer squad. After halftime, young fans were happy to slap hands with the Warriors, as well as the visiting Vipers, as they entered the court for the second half.

For a recap of the game, box scores, highlights, and more information on the NBA D-League Santa Cruz Warriors, check out: Santa Cruz Warriors Fall to Hot-Shooting Vipers.