Vancouver Bandits Host Sell-out Crowd on South Asian Celebration Night, Fall to Sea Bears
Terry Roberts caught fire in Target Score Time to secure a statement road win for the Winnipeg Sea Bears on Friday (June 20).
The Sea Bears weathered a fourth quarter run from the Bandits to win 92-85 in front of a packed house at Langley Events Centre. Winnipeg picked up its fourth straight victory and ended Vancouver’s three-game winning streak in the process.
The trio of Roberts, Jalen Harris and Simi Shittu carried the offensive load for Winnipeg with a combined 74 points in the victory.
Roberts netted 25 points, including the final seven points of Target Score Time, and Harris showed off his ability to score at all three levels with 22 points on 10-20 shooting from the field.
“I love the fact that we've got two dynamic play-making guards,” Winnipeg head coach Mike Taylor said.
“There are times when Jalen Harris carried us in the first half and then they … put [their] best defenders on him. And then Terry is dynamic enough to go make plays. I think a lot of people would say shooting threes is not his forte – he's a guy that's attacking the paint – but he's just a guy that makes winning plays.”
Taylor added that Shittu is a game-changer for the Sea Bears as well. The big man from Vanderbilt notched a double-double with a team-high 27 points and 14 rebounds. Shittu said the win will help build confidence for the Championship Weekend hosts.
“As a team, we just came together and we saw what we’re made of down the stretch. It was good for us,” Shittu said.
On the other side, Aussie Mitch Creek continued his MVP-calibre start to the season with 29 points, seven rebounds and four assists before leaving the game with an injury in Target Time.
Vancouver head coach Kyle Julius voiced his frustration with losing Creek and said the team will have to evaluate its slow starts after going down by double digits in back-to-back games.
“We've had some really soft starts. I thought tonight overall we were soft. The main takeaway is that we were soft overall,” Julius said.
Curtis Hollis added 14 for Vancouver with recent acquisitions James Karnik and Corey Davis Jr. contributing in just their second game of the season as well.
Karnik battled inside with 12 points and eight rebounds, while Davis Jr. was lethal from long range with 16 points and seven assists.
Davis Jr. said the Bandits did a good job of fighting back in the third and fourth quarter, but the second quarter hurt them.
“We did fight hard – we brought it back to be able to win the game – and I think that's always something you can look back on and build from. But I mean putting yourself in those types of situations is something that we have to stay away from,” Davis Jr. said.
The star power for both teams was on full display in a fast-paced start to the game. Creek showed off inside touch and Davis Jr. hit from distance for Vancouver. Meanwhile, Shittu was a force on the boards and Harris cooked from mid-range for Winnipeg.
The west coast squads traded leads late in the first, with a buzzer-beating corner three from Nathan Bilamu putting Winnipeg ahead 21-20 after 10 minutes.
The Bandits and Sea Bears hung tight early in the second, but Winnipeg took control with a 17-4 run and led by as much as 13. The Sea Bears were active on the offensive glass during the stretch, with highlight-reel putbacks from Shittu and Harris.
Vancouver started to pick up the pace late in the half, but Winnipeg caught fire from long range and carried a 54-42 lead into the locker room.
The Bandits climbed back with an 11-2 run to start the second half and made it a one-possession game. Out of a timeout, however, the Sea Bears regained a double-digit lead capped by an and-one from Shittu.
Creek and Shittu exchanged buckets to close the quarter with Winnipeg taking a 75-70 advantage into the fourth.
Five free throws and a floater from Curtis Hollis tied the contest at 77 early in the final frame. With the shot clock winding down, Creek drove strong to the hoop to give Vancouver its first lead of the half.
After trading leads, Harris buried a mid-range jumper for Winnipeg to head into the final stretch with a one-point advantage and a target of 92.
Hollis kicked off Target Score Time with a triple, but a Shittu slam and four straight points from Roberts left the Sea Bears three points from victory.
Roberts stayed hot and buried a contested wing trifecta to finish the game.
Box Score
LATEST NEWS
LATEST VIDEO
