Fraser Valley Bandits fall to Guelph Nighthawks in early season rematch

GUELPH, ON – A night of progress and internal development saw the Bandits come together as a group while on their first road trip of the young Canadian Elite Basketball League season, but the Bandits ultimately fell 95-94 to the Guelph Nighthawks after leading by 24 points midway through the third quarter.

BOX SCORE

SCHEDULE

Tyrrel Tate (Calgary, AB) came off the bench to score 24 points on 8-10 (80%) shooting from the field, while also collecting two rebounds and distributing seven assists.

“I think there were a lot of positives in terms of finding out how this team is going to play together. We definitely built on something,” said Head Coach & General Manager Peter Guarasci.

“Guelph did a good job of changing the complexion of the game. We were unable to get it back to our tempo and our style. Lots of lessons were learned. I’m excited to get to work and keep building on that.”

Game Flow:
The Bandits got off to a strong start in the first quarter thanks to some team basketball and solid ball distribution around the perimeter. A corner three-pointer by Troy Gottselig (Findlater, SK) gave the Bandits an early 7-4 lead. The Nighthawks and Bandits traded baskets throughout the first quarter before Tate drove hard to the rim and completed an and-one free throw after converting a tough lay-up in traffic to ensure the Bandits entered the second quarter ahead 26-23.

The Bandits entered the second quarter determined to break ahead. A three-point jump shot in transition by Anton Gill (Raleigh, NC) pushed the Bandits’ lead to 37-23 with six minutes left in the half. The following offensive possession Gill drove through a web of Nighthawks defenders and finished through contact before completing the and-one play at the free throw line. With the Bandits up by double digits, the Nighthawks began sending waves of double teams. An alert pass in the paint by Grant Shephard (Kelowna, BC) found its way to Tate, who was the beneficiary of a wide-open look under the rim that cemented the Bandits’ lead at 51-35 heading into half-time.

A high-octane offence continued to fuel the Bandits early in the third quarter. Rodney Pryor (Evanston, IL) converted a highlight reel alley-oop dunk mid-way through the frame that extended the lead to 67-44. However, the Nighthawks were not to be counted out. A three-pointer by Jamal Reynolds cut the lead to 69-53 with 3:55 left in the quarter and a two-point jumper by Aaron Redpath with 21 seconds left in the third trimmed the lead to just 14 heading into the final quarter.

The Nighthawks’ offence came alive in the fourth quarter as Head Coach and General Manager Tarry Upshaw’s unit displayed great resilience. The Nighthawks opened the quarter on a 17-7 run that Myck

Kabongo capped off with a short two-point jump shot to reduce the Bandits’ lead to 85-81. A three-pointer by Chris Johnson gave the Nighthawks their first lead since the first quarter with two and a half minutes left to play.

The Bandits and Nighthawks traded final blows to end the fourth quarter, and a late three-pointer by Tate brought the Bandits to within one point with 25 seconds left to play, but an intentionally missed free throw by Ezekiel Marshall with a second left to play secured a 95-94 comeback victory for the Nighthawks.

With the win, the Nighthawks improve to 2-1 on the season, while the Bandits fall to 0-2. The Bandits take on the Hamilton Honey Badgers at Abbotsford Centre this Wednesday, May 22. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.