Bandits Extend Win Streak In Front of Sellout Crowd
The Vancouver Bandits downed the Edmonton Stingers 111-99 in a battle between two of the CEBL’s hottest teams at Langley Events Centre on Sunday (July 20).
Vancouver snapped Edmonton’s seven-game win streak and extended its own to four games with the victory.
Scorching hot three-point shooting continued to make the difference for the Bandits. The home team connected on 17 threes in the win, their third consecutive game hitting at least 15.
Vancouver head coach Kyle Julius attributed the strong stretch of shooting to the team’s ability to generate open looks.
“We've been really moving the ball well – really unselfish. The guys have confidence in each other,” Julius said.
The ball movement yielded 29 assists on Vancouver’s 40 field goals on Sunday.
Duane Notice led the charge for Vancouver with 23 points in the win. With varying minutes throughout the season, Notice made the most of his opportunities in the past several games.
“I always try to stay ready. I mean it's cliché, but it's the truth. There's games where I don't play, there's games where I play the whole game, [and] there's games where I play spot minutes,” Notice said. “So I just try to approach the game with the same mentality every time, which is ‘How can I impact the game and winning on both ends of the court?’”
Bandits guard Corey Davis Jr. contributed 20 points and eight assists to the effort, while Mitch Creek returned to the lineup with 19 points.
Edmonton head coach Jordan Baker said the loss is a good wake-up call heading into the final six games.
“The details matter and we've got to play four quarters of basketball,” Baker said.
Stingers’ guard Sean East II was held in check for the bulk of the contest but finished strong with 10 points in Target Score Time, ending the night with 20. Scottie Lindsey and Nick Hornsby each added 19 points for the Stingers as well.
Hornsby said the Stingers just have to move on to their next matchup against Winnipeg.
“We did try to execute what we needed to execute. And it’s just part of basketball – you're not going to win every game. You're not going to win 100 in a row. We're blessed to be able to win seven,” Hornsby said.
Meanwhile, Keon Ambrose-Hylton made history for the Stingers in the loss. The big man broke his coach’s franchise record for rebounds in a single game with 18 on the night.
“It's great for him – he did a great job for us on both ends, cleaning the glass. [Vancouver] only having four offensive rebounds is a testament to what he was doing down there. But yeah, I mean, small consolation,” Baker said.
Both offences were operating efficiently to start the game. After knocking down 17 threes on Friday, the Bandits carried over the hot shooting into Sunday. Davis Jr. and Notice both buried a pair of triples to earn an early lead for Vancouver.
Davis Jr. kept hitting shots from beyond the arc to begin the second quarter, helping to extend the lead to as high as 15. However, the Stingers gained some momentum with a 6-0 run to close the half, cutting the deficit to nine points after 20 minutes.
Vancouver didn’t cool down from long range in the third quarter. After Hornsby hit from deep to start the frame, the Bandits went on a 14-2 run to force a Baker timeout, highlighted by a Notice triple from almost half court.
Lindsey and Hornsby kept the Stingers offence afloat during the quarter, but the Bandits still entered the fourth with an 84-69 advantage.
Returning from NBA Summer League, Kyle Mangas joined the three-point frenzy early in the fourth before Creek and Sam Maillet connected with another pair to head into Target Score Time with a 101-82 lead.
Edmonton kept fighting with a 9-1 run to begin Target Score Time, prompting a Julius timeout. However, Creek helped to close out the game with a long two from the wing and a transition layup to win it.
The Stingers and Bandits meet again on Aug. 1 at Edmonton Expo Centre.
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