Vancouver Bandits Look to Get Back on Track Tonight

Josh Kozelj • July 14, 2023

The Vancouver Bandits (5-8) (+105) and Brampton Honey Badgers (5-9) (-143) will both look to snap extended losing streaks tonight at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. local at the Langley Events Centre.


The game will also be available for streaming on TSN+, CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, and on the CEBL Mobile app available on iOS and Android devices.


The Honey Badgers come into tonight’s game as losers of five straight, while the Bandits are riding a two-game skid after dropping their last match 97-93 at home to the eastern conference-leading Ottawa BlackJacks on July 9. 


Forward Nick Ward put up a 15 point, 10 rebound double-double in a losing effort, which also marked Vancouver’s fourth loss in five games.  


Despite the recent skids, both teams are armed with plenty of offensive weapons and not out of playoff contention. 


The Honey Badgers are only one game behind Montréal for the conference’s final playoff spot. (Vancouver has already clinched a spot in Championship Weekend next month as hosts of the tournament). 


Brampton also boasts one of the best backcourts in the league with Christian Vital and Koby McEwen—who both have already flexed their muscles against Vancouver this season. 


Vital is averaging 20.1 points per contest, ranking him fourth in the CEBL. He is also second in the league in steals per game (2.5) and three pointers made this season (42). His backcourt mate, meanwhile, is leading the CEBL in assists (83) and second in free throw percentage (86.6). 


Vancouver will look to counter with a combination of veteran guards and two dominate big men on the low post. 


Malcolm Duvivier, the longest tenured Bandit, has been with the team since April 2020 and is averaging 10 points and 6 rebounds in his fourth season with the club. The Toronto product recorded a team-high 18 points in Vancouver’s last game on July 9. 


Inside, like they have been doing all season, the Bandits will look to feed the combination of Ward and Giorgi Benzhanishvili. 


The duo is averaging an identical 17.2 points per game this season and scored a combined 30 points in Vancouver’s loss to Ottawa last weekend. Ward is averaging 7.6 rebounds and over three offensive boards per game. Benzhanishvili, meanwhile, is nearly averaging a double-double, snatching up over 9 rebounds per contest. 


The 6’9” Benzhanishvili can also stretch the floor, however, as he is averaging 1.5 threes per game. 


Brampton’s Zane Waterman, a 6’8” forward from North Carolina, returned after a three-game absence on July 12—scoring 9 points and recording 3 steals in over 26 minutes. Waterman was sidelined with a thumb injury sustained in June. 


The Honey Badgers will need Waterman and forward Jeremiah Tilmon Jr., who is averaging over 10 points and 6 rebounds, to take away the scoring prowess of Ward and Benzhanishvili in order to snap their five-game losing streak. 


These two teams last met on June 9 in Brampton. McEwen and Vital combined for 47 points in a 98-74 Honey Badgers rout. Ward scored 21 points and shot better than 81 per cent off the bench in that game. 


As a team, Vancouver has the edge in points per game (86.5), but the Bandits are giving up the second most points per game in the CEBL (90.9). Inside the paint, Brampton is averaging four blocks per game, which is third best in the league.  


After tonight’s game, Brampton will travel to Saskatchewan for a date with the Rattlers on Monday. Vancouver will cap off a three-game home stand against the Montréal Alliance on Sunday. 


Full broadcast schedule of CEBL Games of the Week on TSN can be found here. All games will also be streamed live internationally on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+, and on the CEBL Mobile app for iOS and Android devices. 


A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 71 percent of its 2022 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Nine players have moved from the CEBL into the NBA following a CEBL season, and 28 CEBL players attended NBA G League training camps during October. The CEBL season runs from May through August. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.

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