Banana Slug cheers echoed throughout Kaiser Permanente Arena during Friday night’s Santa Cruz Warriors game in downtown Santa Cruz. The campus’s quirky mascot, Sammy the Banana Slug, and more than 200 UCSC community members, filled the rows of the newly opened stadium.
Though the home team lost to Rio Grande Valley with a final score of 100-131, the Warriors earned a standing ovation from alumni, faculty, staff, students and parents.
Acquire, the university’s a cappella group, sang a passionate rendition of the national anthem. Sammy had a dance-off with the Warriors’ mascot, Mav’Riks the sea turtle.
Halftime performances included a spectacular dance by the UCSC cheerleading squad that pulled many fans to their feet. Members of the UCSC men’s and women’s basketball teams also fired up the crowd.
