SANTA CRUZ >> Though the sun had already set on their NBA G League playoff hopes, the Santa Cruz Warriors remained set on beating the Northern Arizona Suns on Sunday night.

Behind monster games from several players — guard Jabari Brown in particular — the Warriors did just that, routing the Suns 138-126 at Kaiser Permanente Arena.

Brown scored a season-high 40 points for Santa Cruz — 27 in the first half, during which he shot a blistering 5-for-10 from 3-point range and 9-for-16 overall.

“He’s a scorer,” Warriors coach Aaron Miles said. “He has that ability to put that ball in that basket and make shots that other people can’t. It’s huge to have someone like that.”

Not that Brown could take all the credit.

“I got into a groove out there,” Brown said. “Credit to my teammates for finding me in positions to score.”

Guards Jeremy Pargo and Avry Holmes added 21 and 20 points, respectively, for the Warriors. Pargo also dished out 12 assists, making him one of two Warriors to post a double-double.

Center Trevor Thompson was the other — he had 14 points to go along with 11 rebounds. Fellow big man Kevin Young came close, grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds to go with nine points.

Forwards Michael Gbinije and C.J. Wilcox finished with 19 and 11 points, respectively, for Santa Cruz.

Although Santa Cruz (23-24) was eliminated from playoff contention on Friday when the Reno Bighorns defeated the Agua Caliente Clippers, it still has something to play for: a winning record. The Warriors have finished below .500 just once in their six years in Santa Cruz, going 19-31 in 2015-16.

The Warriors need to win all 2-plus of their remaining games, counting the 17.5 seconds from a previous game that they’ll replay before Friday’s home game against the Iowa Wolves, to assure themselves of a winning season. Even with a loss, Santa Cruz can still break even.

“Every time we step out there, we’re competing,” Brown said. “I, myself, I have a lot of pride. We never want to just lay down and lose.”

Miles said that attitude should bode well for his players, who still hope to impress NBA teams as the G League’s regular season winds down.

“In this league, you’re always auditioning,” the Warriors coach said. “If you’re not in position to make the playoffs, are you going to fold, or are you going to play hard? That’s a matter of character, and it’s important for the players to show their character at this point in the season.”

Santa Cruz led from the get-go, racing to a seemingly insurmountable 17-2 lead before three minutes had elapsed. The Warriors were up 24-5 before the midway point of the first quarter.

Northern Arizona (21-26), however, did manage to creep within single digits several times, including late in the fourth quarter, when a 3-pointer by Danuel House cut Santa Cruz’s lead to 133-124.

“They’d come back and beat us before when we were up 20 at their place,” Miles said. “We kept stressing that they were going to come at us.

“When they did make a run, we had someone come back and make a play. Basketball is a game of runs — you’ve just got to be able to withstand them.”

Northern Arizona never got closer than eight points at any point during the contest.

Mike Young led the Suns with 37 points. Teammates Josh Gray and Archie Goodwin added 28 and 24, respectively.