EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (Interstat) — The South Bay Lakers used a dominant first quarter and a balanced offensive attack to pull away from the Iowa Wolves and secure a 125-106 victory in a G League matchup Friday night at the UCLA Health Training Center.

The Lakers set the tone early, outpacing the Wolves 37-32 in a high-scoring opening period and never relinquished the lead. The win improved South Bay’s record to 28-15, while Iowa fell to 24-20. It was the Lakers’ second win over the Wolves in three days, following a 123-116 victory on Wednesday.

South Bay’s control was established through consistent scoring across all four quarters, putting up 33 points in the second, 29 in the third and a game-high 26 in the fourth to steadily expand their advantage. Iowa, after scoring 32 in the first and 33 in the second, saw its offense stagnate after halftime, managing only 27 points in the third and a mere 14 in the final period.

The most important stretch of the game came late in the fourth quarter when the Lakers extinguished any lingering hope of an Iowa comeback with a decisive 9-0 run. With just over four minutes remaining and South Bay leading 111-100, center Malik Williams took over. He scored on a running layup while drawing a foul, then after missing the ensuing free throw, secured a defensive rebound on the other end. On the following possession, Williams finished a powerful running dunk to push the lead to 115-100. The sequence culminated with guard Nick Smith draining a 25-foot pull-up jumper off a Williams assist, extending the lead to 118-100 with 4:04 left and effectively sealing the outcome. Iowa called a timeout but could not recover, scoring only six more points the rest of the way.

Williams, a 6-foot-11 center from Fort Wayne, Indiana, was a force on both ends during that critical closing stretch, contributing to multiple scores and rebounds. His activity underscored a night where the Lakers’ depth proved overwhelming. Key performances for South Bay included point guard Chris Manon of Milford, New Jersey, power forward Luke Goode of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and shooting guard Nick Smith of Jacksonville, Arkansas. Also contributing were guards Kobe Bufkin and R.J. Davis, forwards Arthur Kaluma of Irving, Texas, Adou Thiero and Anton Watson, and point guard Bronny James.

For Iowa, the loss continued a challenging stretch against the Lakers and marked their second defeat in three games. The Wolves were led by efforts from Joan Beringer, Jalen Crutcher, Zyon Pullin and Jules Bernard, but could not sustain their early offensive pace against South Bay’s persistent attack.

Interstat’s ELO system had projected South Bay with an 84.2 percent probability to win.

South Bay next travels to face Rip City on Sunday, March 15. Iowa returns home to host Salt Lake City on Monday, March 16.