EL SEGUNDO – The South Bay Lakers won their first game of the season in dramatic fashion as they beat the Iowa Wolves, 119-118, on Monday night. Alex Caruso hit the game-winning three for South Bay (1-3) to finish the night with a game-high 26 points. Jared Terrell paced the Wolves (0-5) with a team-high 25 points in the loss.

The Lakers got out to an early 30-25 lead as they shot 55.6 percent in the first quarter and Moe Wagner pitched in a quick eight points. Iowa took a seven-point halftime lead, 58-51, as Terrell scored 10 points in the quarter.

Svi Mykhailiuk found the hot hand in the third quarter, scoring 13 points in the period, but Darius Johnson-Odom poured in 16 points of his own to extend Iowa’s lead to 11, 95-84, through three. Caruso and Johnathan Williams took over in the fourth quarter as the duo combined for 22 points in the frame. Caruso hit four shots from distance in the quarter, including the winning triple with 3.3 seconds remaining to give South Bay their first win of the young season.

Terrell’s 25 points led the Wolves, while Johnson-Odom (24 points) and Canyon Barry (23 points, 10 rebounds) also scored 20+ for Iowa. Hakim Warrick scored 16 points off the bench, but the Wolves couldn’t stop the Lakers in the fourth quarter.

Caruso’s big night (16 points, seven rebounds, 11 assists) guided South Bay to the win as six Lakers scored in double figures. Mykhailiuk scored 21 points in his South Bay debut and Wagner finished the game with 16 points (6-10 FG) and four rebounds. Scott Machado continued to lead the second unit with 14 points and six assists while Williams (12 points) and Demarcus Holland (10 points) also reached double figures off the bench.