Fraser Valley Bandits Win First Game at Home, Push Win Streak to Two Games 

Bandits Staff • July 5, 2019

ABBOTSFORD, BC, July 4, 2019 – The Fraser Valley Bandits continued their momentum and won their second game in franchise history on Thursday night against the visiting Guelph Nighthawks. The Bandits led throughout the game and closed out the contest 85-72 in front of a raucous crowd at Abbotsford Centre.

BOX SCORE

SCHEDULE

ROSTER

Recent Bandits signing Jelan Kendrick (College Park, GA) made a great first impression on the hometown crowd, recording a double-double and showcasing solid energy. Kendrick came off the bench to score 18 points on 8-of-10 (80%) shooting while also hauling in 10 rebounds and grabbing three steals.

“This was a great win for the group. We didn’t always execute the way that we’d like to offensively, but we were able to put together a solid game defensively that allowed us to limit Guelph’s chances and get out on the run in transition” said Levon Kendall (Vancouver, BC), who celebrated his 35th birthday tonight.

Game Flow:
Guelph entered Thursday night’s action leading the season series against the Bandits 3-0, and Fraser Valley was determined to reverse the narrative. A deep two-point jump shot by Guelph’s Connor Wood gave the Nighthawks an early 11-8 lead midway through the first quarter. The Bandits responded by going on a run of their own. Jamal Ray (Texarkana, TX) sunk a pull-up jumper to put the Bandits ahead 16-11. But Guelph was able to push back before the first quarter ended and trimmed the Bandits’ lead to 20-19.

The second quarter was one of Fraser Valley’s best of the season. The Bandits outscored Guelph 23-13 in the second and pushed their lead to double digits. Entering half-time, the Bandits were ahead 43-32.

Guelph pushed back to open the third quarter and opened the frame on a 7-0 run that was capped off by a fadeaway two-pointer from Zeke Marshall. Marek Klassen (Abbotsford, BC) stopped the bleeding by answering with a three-pointer, which helped spark the Bandits. Klassen went on to add two more threes in the quarter in support of a 63-54 lead for the Bandits entering the final quarter.

The Bandits continued to lock Guelph down defensively in the fourth quarter. A three-pointer by Joel Friesen (Abbotsford, BC) pushed the lead to 69-54, and the Bandits never looked back after that, closing out the game 85-72.

The Bandits travel to Hamilton to take on the Honey Badgers this Saturday. After the road trip, the Bandits’ next home game is Thursday, July 11 against the Niagara River Lions for Country Night presented by Country 107.1 at Abbotsford Centre. The game will feature pre-game and half-time performances by Me and Mae. Tickets can be purchased here.

Key Game Stats:
• Defensive showcase: The Bandits were impressive on the defensive end of the floor, limiting Guelph to just 25-of-72 (34%) on field goal attempts.
• Battle on the boards: Fraser Valley was active on the glass and outrebounded Guelph 53-40 (+13).
• Gritty in the paint: The Bandits forced plenty of second-chance opportunities thanks to their active play around the rim. Fraser Valley recorded 42 points in the paint compared to just 22 for Guelph.

Bandits Performer of the Game
#9 Jelan Kendrick – Forward – College Park, GA

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For media inquiries, please contact:

Andrew Savory, Marketing and Communications Manager, Fraser Valley Bandits, (604) 217-6213, asavory@thebandits.ca


For more information on the Bandits, visit www.thebandits.ca or follow the team’s journey on Facebook , Instagram and Twitter.

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