Career Night for Tazé Moore Fuels Vancouver Over Winnipeg
LANGLEY, B.C., June 13, 2024 – In the off-chance fans were not familiar with the Vancouver Bandits and their red-hot start to the CEBL season, any remaining mystery surrounding the team has likely dissipated.
Playing at Langley Events Centre on Thursday night in a nationally broadcasted game on TSN, the Bandits flexed their might, scoring 62 in the first half alone in a 112-91 victory over the Winnipeg Sea Bears.
It improved Vancouver to 6-1 – and has them atop the Canadian Elite Basketball League standings – and in addition to improving to 4-0 on their home court, three of the Bandits’ victories have been by 20-plus points.
For Winnipeg, this was a third-straight loss following a 3-1 start as their record slipped to 3-4. It was also the Bandits’ first-ever win against Winnipeg after the Sea Bears won all four meetings in 2023.
But that was last year and this edition of the Bandits is something else.
Tazé Moore capped off a remarkable night individually, as he sank a long-distance 3-pointer for the clinching points in Target Score Time. He finished with 35 points – a Bandits franchise record – to go along with 16 rebounds (15 of which came on the defensive end) and 11 assists for the first triple double in team history and just the fifth in league history.
“That was special. I thought he did it without being selfish. He picked and chose his times. It was an impressive 35 points,” said Bandits coach and general manager Kyle Julius. “He just has great feel.”
Even more impressive was the fact Moore missed the last few days of practice while he attended workouts with a few NBA clubs and just learned a few new wrinkles this morning the team added in his absence.
While Moore posted the gaudy stats, he was far from alone in doing damage offensively. Koby McEwen scored 24, Nick Ward had 20, Zach Copeland chipped in with 11 and James Karnik added 10 as all five Bandits starters reached double figures.
Vancouver shot nearly 57 per cent from the field, including an eye-popping 51.9 per cent from downtown, as they connected on 14 of 27 of three-point attempts.
“I wouldn’t say it is a shock because I know we recruited great shooters,” Julius said when asked about connecting on such a high percentage.
And when the outside game is nailing more than half their attempts, it makes for a tough night for teams to defend, especially with the inside game of Ward and Karnik.
“You have to respect everybody. There’s not one person you can help off of. That’s a hard cover when you can’t help on anybody, everyone has to go one-on-one; everybody can score,
everybody can rebound, everybody can do everything. That’s tough to defend,” Ward said when asked about the challenges of defending Vancouver.
But while the final score was lopsided, the Sea Bears did have their moments, trailing 28-21 after one quarter and then trimming a 16-point halftime deficit down to four points in the third quarter at 65-61.
Julius credited the insertion of Sam Maillet and Duane Notice onto the floor at that critical juncture as a turning point.
“I thought they literally changed the game themselves; their energy and their defence; I thought we just took off from there,” the coach said.
Following the substitutions, Vancouver re-established the double-digit lead, going ahead 84-71 after three quarters and then opening the fourth with a 12-0 run.
“Give the Bandits credit; they hit shots and made some plays. Tazé was outstanding today, but it wasn’t just him, it was a team effort,” said Winnipeg coach Mike Taylor.
Thursday’s game marked the Sea Bears debut of Justin Wright-Foreman and last year’s leading scorer in the CEBL (with Saskatchewan) saw him pick up where he left off with 29 points and six assists. Teddy Allen added 24, giving Winnipeg a deadly backcourt tandem.
Offensively, the Sea Bears were right near their season average as they entered the contest averaging 92 points per game. It is defensively where they struggle, as they sit dead last in the CEBL, allowing 99 points per game.
“We were just a step slow and then you combine it with some of the bone-headed turnovers, we just threw away the ball right to them,” Taylor said.
The coach also stressed that more ball movement is key as his team finished with just 11 assists, compared to Vancouver’s 21.
Up next for the Bandits is another home game on Saturday (June 15, 7:30 p.m. PT) at Langley Events Centre as Vancouver looks to avenge their lone loss of the season with a visit from the Saskatchewan Rattlers.
Tickets for the highly anticipated and fast-selling game 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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