Bandits Bounce Back at Home Against Calgary Surge

Gary Ahuja • June 2, 2024

LANGLEY, B.C., June 1, 2024 – While no one wants to lose, a defeat can be a valuable tool.


Coming off their first loss of the Canadian Elite Basketball League season – a 98-86 setback in Saskatoon to the Rattlers on May 30 in a battle of unbeaten teams – Vancouver Bandits’ Kyle Julius was curious to what his team’s response would be.

“We were all disappointed in (Saskatchewan). We didn’t play well, we were lethargic (and) I thought Sask played great, punched us in the mouth,” said the Bandits head coach and general manager.


“You want to see how everyone responds and I thought they responded with toughness and energy.”


Vancouver was hosting the Calgary Surge on Saturday at Langley Events Centre (LEC) as the Bandits hosted their first-ever South Asian Heritage Game, wearing specially-themed jerseys.


And following a close first quarter – the Bandits led 28-25 after 10 minutes – Vancouver locked down defensively, holding the Surge to 49 points the rest of the way in a one-sided 100-74 victory to improve to 3-1.


Zach Copeland came out determined, hitting his first four 3-point attempts, and scoring 16 in the first quarter alone, while finishing with 28. He was averaging 18.3 points per game entering the contest.


“We were very disappointed in how we came out last game. That was the biggest emphasis for this game: set the tone and bring the energy,” Copeland said. “I was just ready to go. I wanted to set the tone and was just locked in.”


Vancouver stretched the lead to a dozen points at the half and after Calgary scored five quick points to open the third quarter, the Bandits used a quick timeout and came out of the huddle and re-established a double-digit lead which they held the rest of the way.


A big change from the first half to the second was Vancouver cutting back on Calgary’s offensive rebounds. The Surge finished with nine offensive rebounds and 28 total, while Vancouver had 13 and 44, respectively.


The Bandits also had the superior shooting night as they were 54.9 per cent from the field and 42.9 per cent from downtown. Both were season highs.


“I was waiting for a 3-point percentage like this because that is what our guys are capable of,” Julius said. “We shot the ball well, offensively we had some good spacing and flow, but I feel we won the game defensively. 


Tazé Moore – who missed the team’s last game with illness – had a near triple double, finishing with 16 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists. He also had three steals and a pair of blocked shots. Nick Ward added 18 points while Koby McEwen and James Karnik each had 11 with all five Bandits starters finishing in double figures.


Sean Miller-Moore led Calgary with 21 points with Corey David Jr. and Justin Lewis adding 15 and 14 points, respectively.


The Surge – who lost in the CEBL championship final game last summer – fell to 0-3.


Coach Tyrell Vernon said his team struggled with their transition defence, and if they can fix that area of their game, it should help their offence, which has failed to crack the 80-point plateau in two of their three games.


“It’s a quick turnaround. We have to watch the film and own our mistakes,” Vernon said. “Everyone just has to be accountable for what happened.”


Up next for the Bandits is a trip to Alberta where they face the Edmonton Stingers on Tuesday, June 4 before a rematch with the Surge, this time in Calgary on Friday, June 7. 



Vancouver’s next home game at LEC is on Thursday, June 13 when the Bandits welcome the Winnipeg Sea Bears for a 7:30 p.m. PT tip-off that will be nationally televised on TSN.


Tickets are on sale now at this link. 


Individuals interested in ticket flexibility or purchasing a bundle of Bandits tickets are invited to consider a flex pack. More information can be found at thebandits.ca/tickets or by speaking with a   Bandits representative by calling (604) 455-8881 or emailing tickets@thebandits.ca.


A complete regular season schedule can be found by clicking here. More information is available at thebandits.ca and @vancouverbandits on Instagram and TikTok, as well as @vancitybandits on Facebook and Twitter.

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