Photo: Youthful fans cheer on the Memphis Hustle in their 108-107 victory over the Santa Cruz Warriors on Wednesday. (Bob Bakken/desotocountynews.com)
SOUTHAVEN, Miss. — The Memphis Hustle snapped out of their recent struggles Wednesday afternoon, edging the Santa Cruz Warriors 108-107 at Landers Center behind a balanced offensive effort and a strong debut from newly acquired forward Eric Dixon, who scored 20 points just one day after arriving in Memphis.
The NBA G League regular season contest was played late Wednesday morning into the afternoon as an Education Day contest with 6,360 youngsters in attendance.
Hustle coach Rob Sanicola said the win reflected the group’s resilience despite a difficult season. “The one thing you do love as a group is they’re competing — they’re in every game,” Sanicola said. “We’ll try to find the positives. They’ve stayed together.”
Dixon, acquired Tuesday from the Greensboro Swarm, made an immediate impact with his scoring, floor spacing, and screening. Sanicola praised how seamlessly he blended into the lineup despite having only caught “the tail end of practice” the day before.
“Just a welcome addition — a lot of gravity,” Sanicola said. “He understands how to play, how to play in space. Unselfish, can stretch. It just gives us a different look.”
Dixon said his focus was simply to keep things simple and help the team. “It’s a good group of guys,” he said. “They had good energy, made things easy for me. Just show up, keep it simple, and do what you can do to help the team.”
Tyler Burton led Memphis with 21 points, while DeJon Jarreau added 15 off the bench, including several key fourth‑quarter buckets that helped the Hustle withstand a late Santa Cruz surge. The Warriors’ Deivon Smith scored a game‑high 26 points, but Memphis held on despite surrendering two late threes that tightened the margin.
Sanicola said the closing stretch offered plenty to learn from. “It’s much easier to teach when you win,” he said. “There’s a lot we have to clean up — execution, blown coverages — but they’re a good group. They’ll fight back, we’ll watch film, and we’ll be better.”
The Hustle also fed off a young Education Day crowd of more than 6,000, something Sanicola said mattered to his players. “Anytime you have people that support you… it just shows someone is there watching,” he said. “Look up — that was you 10 years ago. Be grateful for where you’re at.”
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