Vancouver Bandits Battle to the Wire in Tough Loss versus Winnipeg

A second-half comeback by the Vancouver Bandits (7-2) fell short as BC’s pro basketball team ran out of steam late against the Winnipeg Sea Bears (4-5), who were fueled by a game-high 32 points from Justin Wright-Foreman on Wednesday night.

It was a season-high night for last year’s MVP runner-up in just his third game as a Sea Bear. And none of his baskets were more important than the last one, as Wright-Foreman banked in a deep three for the game-winner.

His heroics helped Winnipeg overcome the fact they had blown a 13-point third quarter lead and trailed by 12 heading into Target Score Time.

“I always think a win is possible,” said Wright-Foreman when asked what went through his mind during the game’s final moments. “No lead is safe, (especially) in Target Time.

“I feel like today we did an overall team effort to win this game … it’s about all of us as a group and that was most impressive.”

Wright-Foreman was backed up by Emmanuel Akot’s 15 points off the bench, Simon Hildebrandt’s 10 points and David Muenkat’s seven-point, 12-rebound performance.

On the other side, the Bandits’ furious second half rally ultimately fell short. Vancouver was led by Duane Notice’s season-high 19 points off the bench, while Koby McEwen, Tazé Moore and Zach Copeland each pitched in with 17, 15 and 14, respectively. James Karnik narrowly missed out on a double-double with nine points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

“It sucks to lose,” Notice said postgame. “But it’ll be another lesson for us, especially being on the road and learning how to play together. And knowing us we’re going to fight through the adversity and get back at it.”

The biggest question mark heading into the game was what this Sea Bears team would look like without Teddy Allen, having released the guard on Monday.

And the early returns were as positive as Winnipeg fans could have hoped for as they began the game on a 14-3 run. Most surprisingly, it was sparked by their defensive effort. A ball club that typically gives up a league-high 98.8 points per game held the Bandits to just five made baskets on 35 per cent field goal shooting in the opening frame.

“Everyone was connected,” Taylor said on what clicked defensively as they led 28-18 after the first quarter. “Defending within the system and trusting all five guys were giving maximum effort … a unified defence.”

And although the Bandits weren’t phased by their slow start, promptly hitting a barrage of threes in the second quarter to cut the lead down to as little as three points -- Winnipeg had a response of its own.

The Sea Bears’ answer came in the form of Wright-Foreman as the import replied to Vancouver’s five made threes in the frame by scoring 11 points to rebuild the home team’s lead.

Any doubts over how the Sea Bears would account for the absence of Allen’s league-leading 28.1 points per game were quickly dispelled thanks to the leadership of Wright-Foreman. Last year’s MVP runner-up finished the first half with 19 points as Winnipeg held onto a 46-37 lead.

“We were not playing with a lot of life,” Julius said of the Bandits’ first half play. “We lost all our fifty-fifty battles, we were flat. 

“… We haven’t been down like that at the half all year, it’s a good test.”

And it’s safe to say Vancouver passed that test despite giving up an 8-0 run and trailing by as many as 13 points in the third.

Trailing 57-44 at the 4:39 mark of the frame, the Bandits went on a 16-1 run to take their first lead all night. The outburst was spearheaded by Notice who hit back-to-back threes as part of nine points in the frame.

Normally considered a glue guy, Notice took over the scoring load with usuals McEwen, Copeland and Moore all having inefficient nights. And he easily outpaced his usual output of 5.5 points per game as Vancouver led 64-62 headed into the fourth thanks to his effort.

“Not at all surprised,” Julius said on the Bandits captain taking charge in the third quarter. “He works on his game as hard as anyone I’ve been around, he’s a winner and showed that tonight.”

And it appeared the Bandits had all-but sealed the victory through the first six minutes of the final frame as they went on a 14-4 run and led 78-66 prior to Target Score Time.

That was when Winnipeg’s defence, dormant since the first quarter, woke up and led the improbable comeback. The Sea Bears began the stoppage period on a 9-0 run, forcing the Bandits to miss their first five shots.

And from there, Winnipeg capitalized. Alex Campbell and Muenkat hit back-to-back triples to give the Sea Bears an 85-84 lead, before forcing a contested heave from Moore on the other end which allowed Wright-Foreman to then drill the game-winning dagger.”

“Target Score Time is a player;s game,” Taylor said on his impressions of the Sea Bears in the game-winning moments. “We have to go out there and turn up our (defence) and make plays, and they did it.”

Following tonight, Vancouver is back at home on Saturday, June 22 with a visit from the Ottawa BlackJacks to Langley Events Centre as part of the club’s Indigenous Celebration Game. 

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.