Duane Notice Gives Vancouver Bandits a Stunning 90-89 Win Over Ottawa BlackJacks

OTTAWA, ON, July 27, 2023 – A game-winning three-pointer by Duane Notice gave the Vancouver Bandits (7-12) a 90-89 upset victory over the Ottawa BlackJacks (12-8) on Thursday night at TD Place. 

Vancouver scored 58 points in the paint tonight—compared to 28 paint points by Ottawa—but it was the three-point ball that clinched the stunning victory. 

“Duane hit a huge shot,” Nick Ward said after the game. “I can’t forget about my brother Duane Notice. It was a huge win.” 

In a game that featured over 20 lead changes, the Bandits found themselves trailing by four points late in Target Score time. The BlackJacks were one point away from snapping a two-game losing streak, however, after Doug Herring Jr. cut the lead to two, the New York product got to the free throw line on Vancouver’s next offensive possession. 

With the score at 89-87 and a chance to complete a three-point play, Herring Jr. missed the free throw but collected his own rebound and found Notice at the top of the three-point line. Notice then knocked down the shot to stun the BlackJacks.

“Honestly, I was prepared for it,” Notice said. “It sounds crazy, but we do a drill in practice where we work on getting offensive rebounds from free throws. In that situation, coach Kyle Julius mentioned it and I was just being ready.” 

Deng Adel led the charge offensively for Ottawa on the night. Adel scored a season-high 28 points (eight of which came in Target Score time) on 50 per cent shooting from the field and hauled in seven rebounds. 

“I was just being aggressive, making the right reads and I’m just trying to make the right play at all times,” Adel said. “It wasn’t enough, but we just gotta stay together and stay aggressive.” 

Matt Coleman III chipped in with 17 points and three three-pointers off the bench and Thomas Scrubb had 18 points and four long balls. 

While the BlackJacks welcomed Zena Edosomwan back to the lineup after a one-month absence tonight, Ottawa was without forward Jackson Rowe, who was averaging 15.3 points and 6.6 rebounds in 18 games this season. Edosomwan finished with five points and grabbed nine rebounds in his return to the BlackJacks’ starting lineup. 

“It wasn’t a great game by us, but we competed, we fought. There were a lot of bodies flying around, they’re a big, physical team,” Ottawa head coach James Derouin said. “I thought our guys fought right until the end.”

In the first quarter, Ottawa used a 13-0 run to take a 10-point lead after one. Adel scored eight points in that run, and collected 10 points in the first quarter. 

Ward finished with a team-high 25 points. His frontcourt mate Giorgi Bezhanishvili secured a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds, as Vancouver’s big men combined to give Ottawa fits all night. 

Vancouver, who is leading the league in rebounds per game, had a 44-40 edge on the glass and hauled in 14 offensive boards as a team. 

“I love this group. I’ve said they practice like they’re in first place all year. They’re great fighters,” Vancouver head coach Kyle Julius said. “That was a good effort by us tonight for sure.” 

The BlackJacks started the third quarter with two quick threes, but both teams traded blows in the frame. Vancouver used a 7-2 run—capped off with an Alex Campbell three-pointer—to snag a five-point lead heading into the fourth. 

Vancouver carried that momentum into Target Score time, but Ottawa stayed within striking distance to level the game at 85 (with a target score of 90 points). Scrubb managed to give Ottawa the lead with a layup in transition, and Adel brought them to within a point of victory, but the Bandits squeaked out the win with five straight points on their final possession of the night. 

With the victory, Vancouver earned its third road victory of the year and got some momentum heading into Championship Weekend at Langley Events Centre August 9-13. The Bandits will close out the regular season this Sunday on the road in Scarborough. 

The Bandits will be back at Langley Events Centre on Friday, August 11, having qualified for Championship Weekend as the host team. Vancouver will be facing a familiar rival in the Western Conference Final, to see which team advances to the Championship game that will be played on Sunday, August 13.



Single game playoff tickets for Championship Weekend are available for purchase at this link.

Individuals interested in learning more about playoff tickets for Vancouver Bandits Basketball are kindly asked to call (604) 455-8881 or email tickets@thebandits.ca. 

More information is available at thebandits.ca and @vancouverbandits on Instagram and TikTok, as well as @vancitybandits on Facebook and Twitter.