Bandits impress sellout crowd with decisive win over Sea Bears

Vancouver cruised to a 106-74 victory over Winnipeg in a potential Championship Weekend preview on Sunday (Aug. 3).

On Fan Appreciation Night, the sellout crowd of 5,504 at Langley Events Centre had a lot to appreciate. After setting a franchise record with 121 points on Friday, the Bandits followed that up with another offensive outburst.

The duo of Mitch Creek and Tyrese Samuel paced the Vancouver attack with a combined 51 points.

Creek netted a game-high 27 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists. Meanwhile, Samuel flirted with a double-double, scoring 24 points to go along with nine rebounds.

Zach Copeland complemented the frontcourt with consistent outside shooting, contributing 19 points as well.

Vancouver improves its record to 17-5 on the season and maintains its spot atop the Western Conference with the Calgary Surge in pursuit.

“The west is not the east … we've got [17] wins and we're biting and clawing to finish this thing out on top. So the West is a beast over here, and it's serious, and I'm proud that we're at the top of it for sure,” said Kyle Julius, head coach of the Bandits.

Vancouver forced 19 Winnipeg turnovers, leading to 24 points. The Bandits’ defence also sparked the transition offence, outscoring the Sea Bears 27-4 on the fastbreak.

Winnipeg head coach Mike Taylor said the Bandits came ready to play and “jumped all over” the Sea Bears.

“People will look at the transition defence from our team or the fastbreak points from them, but I'm more concerned about our half-court offensive execution. I thought they were physical with good ball pressure. We didn't get the type of shots that we wanted,” Taylor said.

Simi Shittu led the charge for Winnipeg with another double-double. The big man battled his way to 20 points and 11 rebounds in the loss. He said Winnipeg needs to tighten its transition defence moving forward.

“We didn't come out the way we did in the last couple of games,” Shittu said. “[We were] fighting back most of the game.”

Jalen Harris added 11 points and 7 assists while reaching a significant milestone. Harris became the ninth player in CEBL history to score 1,000 points all-time in regular-season and playoff games.

“For the last several years, Jalen has been one of the top players in the league. For him as an import player to come in and have some of these accomplishments – it's a great thing,” Taylor said.

Winnipeg veteran and former Bandit Alex Campbell became the fifth player in CEBL history to join the 500-rebound club on Sunday, collecting three boards just an hour after Edmonton’s Nick Hornsby hit the milestone in a separate game.

Vancouver’s offence was dominant to start the game. After an early exchange of buckets, the Bandits seized control with a 16-0 run that featured triples from Creek and Copeland, along with inside finishes from Samuel.

Trevon Scott and Shittu kept the Winnipeg attack afloat, but Vancouver entered the second quarter with a 33-24 lead.

Efficient offence continued for Vancouver in the second, carried by Creek and Samuel. The pair combined for 18 points in the frame, including highlight reel jams from Samuel.

Vancouver’s defence also stepped up, holding Winnipeg to 10 points in the second quarter to head into the locker room with a 60-34 advantage.

Copeland caught fire from long-range in the third with a pair of trifectas in a back-and-forth quarter. However, the Bandits maintained a sizable 83-55 lead heading into the final frame.

Vancouver built on its lead with a 10-0 run early in the fourth that featured a pair of triples from Creek. Copeland and Maurice Calloo traded buckets before Target Score Time, with Vancouver entering the final stretch ahead 31.

Five points from Creek, a triple from Shamar Givance and a game-winning putback from Samuel propelled the Bandits to the win.

Vancouver claims the regular season series against Winnipeg after splitting the first two games.

Up next for both teams

Winnipeg returns to Canada Life Centre for a meeting with the Niagara River Lions on Wednesday (Aug. 6) in another possible Championship Weekend preview. The Bandits hit the road for the final two games of the regular season with a matchup against Scarborough next Friday (Aug. 8) first on the agenda.

Next CEBL action

Vancouver will be keenly watching Calgary’s visit to Montréal on Monday (Aug. 4) with implications for the top spot in the Western Conference.