Vancouver Bandits Stumble on the Road vs. Stingers

EDMONTON, ALTA, July 3, 2023 – The Edmonton Stingers (6-7) knocked off the Vancouver Bandits (5-7) 92-78 in the second half of a home-and-home Canada Day long weekend series at the Edmonton EXPO Centre. 

After losing by 10 points to the Bandits at Langley Events Centre on July 1, the Stingers responded with an efficient shooting performance inside the arc and a team-high 19 points from Aher Uguak.

As a team, Edmonton shot 68 per cent from inside the three-point line and 50 per cent from the field. Uguak led the way with 19 points and four rebounds, but four other Stingers also recorded double-digit scoring performances

“We had a way better start (compared to Saturday),” Uguak said after the game. “The second half, especially the fourth quarter, was a little sloppy. We’re not where we wanna be yet, but things take time. I think we got better today and I like the ‘W’ for sure.” 

The Stingers’ ability to get to the rim was buoyed by the fact that Vancouver was playing without one and eventually two of its leading scorers in Nick Ward and Giorgi Bezhanishvili for most of the game.

Two days after combining to score 32 points against Edmonton, both Ward and Bezhanishvili failed to play in the fourth quarter this afternoon. Ward was ejected with two consecutive technical fouls in the second quarter, while Bezhanishvili fouled out towards the end of the third. 

“You can only play the team that’s in front of you,” Edmonton head coach Jordan Baker said. “Foul trouble is going to happen; other stuff is going to happen. Credit to our guys for continuing to play the way we wanted to.”

Before their absences, Ward and Bezhanishvili were flexing their muscles inside. Ward, specifically, recorded six points in the first quarter and seemed to overmatch Edmonton’s forwards. 

However, Uguak responded with eight of his 19 points on the afternoon in the opening quarter. 

Edmonton also knocked down 4-of-7 of its three-point attempts in the first —highlighted by a full-court heave that dropped at the buzzer by Geoffrey James—to take a 29-18 lead heading into the second. 

Bezhanishvili, who recorded his fourth foul of the game halfway through the second frame, was forced to miss most of the quarter due to foul trouble. 

Shortly after Bezhanishvili left for the bench, Ward was assessed a technical foul. Following a conversation with the Stingers’ bench, Ward received his second technical and was ejected from the game.

Ward finished with eight points and three rebounds in 13 minutes of action. 

In the absence of both starters, Shaquille Keith recorded a game-high 20 points for Vancouver off the bench. 

Following halftime, Edmonton led 51-37. Bezhanishvili kept Vancouver in the game with six points in the third quarter. But Bezhanishvili recorded his fifth personal foul after fighting for a loose ball under the Edmonton basket—halting Vancouver’s momentum. 

A Jahenns Manigat three-pointer cut Edmonton’s lead to 15 by target score time, but the Stingers were able to close out the Bandits in the final frame. 

Fueled by four points by Uguak in target score, Brody Clarke—who finished with 13 points—knocked down a free throw to close out the game at 92. 

With the win, Edmonton managed to stay in the thick of the western conference playoff race. The Stingers are now one game behind the second-place Calgary Surge in the west. 

Edmonton and Calgary are set to square off on Wednesday night in Edmonton. 

The Bandits return home to Langley Events Centre for Vancouver’s next game this Sunday, July 9 at 7 p.m. PT against the Ottawa BlackJacks.

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 berth in the conference finals doubleheader on Friday, August 11.

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.