Vancouver Bandits Drop Heartbreaker to Calgary Surge on Indigenous Celebration Night

Gary Ahjua • June 26, 2023

LANGLEY, B.C., June 25, 2023 – A tough first-half proved too much to overcome for the Vancouver Bandits and left head coach Kyle Julius with more questions than answers.


Calgary was playing its third game in five days while travelling from Ontario to B.C., but was able to edge past the Bandits as Vancouver fell 93-88 to the visiting Surge in Canadian Elite Basketball League action at Langley Events Centre on Sunday.



Vancouver trailed by as many 22 points in those opening 20 minutes and while they did manage to pull off a second-half rally to cut the deficit down to six points heading into the Elam Ending – and tying the score on two separate occasions during Target Score time – they could not find the defensive stop they needed with Calgary scoring the final five points.


The win was the first in three head-to-head meetings for Calgary, which improved to 7-5. The Bandits lost for a second straight-game and saw their record slip to 4-6.


And while Julius does not know what happened the first half, he did say that the players know it was unacceptable.


“There are a few guys that really need to look in the mirror. In pro basketball, with the way we provide the resources for these guys to get ready to play, we finally had a few days of practice to get ready before and the way some of our guys showed up not ready to play today is flat-out unacceptable,” Julius said post-game.


“We have to sort some things out with guys individually. Some guys haven’t been coming ready to play, haven’t been anywhere near their potential. We have to sort that out and deal with that.”

Vancouver could not find any offensive rhythm in that first half as they made just one of their 14 three-point attempts. Nick Ward was the lone Bandit to make multiple field goals in the opening 20 minutes, as he was 6-for-7 from the field and scored 14 of his team’s 27 points. 


But while Ward was shooting a high percentage, the rest of the Bandits were off in the first half, especially from beyond the arc as the team struggled, making just one of their 14 attempts, as they trailed 46-27 heading into the locker room.


The team did find some offensive traction in the second half, cutting the deficit down to as low as seven points early in the fourth quarter, but for every run they put together, the Surge had an answer. The Bandits did twice tie the score during Target Score time but would get no closer.


Ward scored 14 points in each half and finished with a game-high 28 points and 16 rebounds while fellow Bandits big man Giorgi Bezhanishvili had a dominant second half, scoring 24 of his 26 points after halftime and also hauling down 10 rebounds, dishing out four assists, while also getting three steals and a blocked shot.


Another bright spot for the Bandits was Diego Maffia. After playing limited minutes these past few games – and just 2:57 in the first half – the point guard was a factor down the stretch, scoring 12 points and dishing out three assists.


Julius pointed out that Vancouver had six assists and nine turnovers at the half but finished the game with 15 assists and just 11 turnovers. 


“He has a very calming effect. Probably our best guy as far as just getting us into our offence and helping our team get into the right spots and execute. Plus, he is also a shot-maker so the defence has to respect him,” the coach said of his U SPORTS guard. 


Ward, Bezhanishvili and Maffia were the only three Bandits to crack double figures in scoring. By comparison, five Calgary players scored 10 or more points, led by Sean Miller-Moore’s 23 – including the Target Score winning hoop – while Admon Gilder Jr. scored 18. Stefan Smith directed the offence with 13 points and a dozen assists and Kylor Kelly also chipped in with 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots.


Calgary entered the game with four losses in their previous five contests and coming off the aforementioned stretch of three games in three cities over a five-day span.


“Our guys just fought,” said Surge coach Nelson Terroba, adding that the coaching staff made the decision to give the players the morning off, cancelling both the walkthrough and shootaround.

“It wasn’t easy. A lead helps, but at the same time, this league is relentless and I say that in a very complimentary way. There are no nights off in this league, there are no possessions off in this league. We expected them to come back and they did.”


“It was more a testament to the guys. Tired legs, rested legs, at the end of the day, it is a commitment to winning and doing what you need to do to get the job done and our guys had that commitment tonight,” he added.


Up next for the Bandits is a Canada Day home game on Hoops and Heroes Night as they welcome the Edmonton Stingers (5-5) to Langley Events Centre. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. PT for a 7 p.m. tip-off.


It is the start of a home-and-home series between the two Western Conference rivals as they will head to Edmonton on July 3 for the rematch. Single game tickets for the fifth season of Bandits Basketball are available for purchase at this link.


A key highlight of Vancouver’s fifth CEBL campaign will be its hosting of Championship Weekend, which takes place between Friday, August 11 and Sunday, August 13. An annual celebration of the highest level of Canadian professional basketball, Championship Weekend features a postseason format that combines three games of playoff basketball as part of a multi-day festival experience designed to celebrate the intersection of arts, culture and sport. As hosts of Championship Weekend, the Bandits receive an automatic semifinal berth.


Individuals interested in learning more about tickets for the Vancouver Bandits’ 2023 season are kindly asked to call (604) 455-8881 or email 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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