Vancouver Bandits Topple League-Leading Calgary Surge

CALGARY, ALTA., June 14, 2023 – Giorgi Bezhanishvili’s 27-point double-double on Wednesday night helped the Vancouver Bandits (3-4) hold off a 20-point comeback from the Calgary Surge (5-2) in what ended up being an 82-77 win.

After scoring eight points in the first half, Bezhanishvili took over down the stretch, scoring 21 the rest of the way while shooting 50 per cent from the field and 5-of-9 from distance. He also dominated the glass. Bezhanishvili entered Wednesday night action as the CEBL’s top rebounder at 11.8 per game and hauled in 13 boards en route to his team’s second win in a row.

He was supported by Nick Ward, whose 13 points were the second most by any Bandits player despite him only playing 16 minutes due to injury. Malcolm Duvivier also contributed by way of his nine points and nine rebounds.

On the other side it was Stefan Smith’s 23 points and 10 rebounds that led the Surge in the loss, his first double-double of the season. Joining him was Simi Shittu who notched 19 points, 11 of which came in the final frame of the contest.

The game plan coming into the night for the Bandits was clear: attack the glass and win the rebounding battle.

Along with dominating the glass, the best rebounding team in the CEBL also applied a ton of interior pressure to the number one defense in Calgary, as they were +10 on points in the paint. Vancouver was rewarded with a 22-9 lead heading into the second. The 13-point difference was the largest lead the Bandits have held after a first quarter in any game this season.

An 8-0 run by the Surge in the first four minutes of the second had them back within three points. 

After dominating through two quarters via his game-high 13 points, Nick Ward strained his right knee early in the third, left the game and did not return. Without Vancouver’s leader in the paint, the Surge made their move to cut into the Bandits’ lead. 

The Bandits however demonstrated some major poise by limiting the damage; notably, Bezhanishvili took charge as he dropped 10 points in the frame to keep his team up 11 as the quarter expired.

His strong shooting immediately carried over to the fourth frame as the forward nailed two triples in the first two minutes, helping his team to an 11-2 run and a 70-50 lead with 7:33 to go. With the biggest lead of the game on hand, things seemed all but over, but that’s when the Surge showed some poise of their own by going on a 16-2 run to make it a six-point game. 

The Bandits held a slim 72-66 lead entering the Target Score frame.

Calgary’s strong play carried right over as they outscored their opponents 10-3 to start the Target Score period and go up 76-75 for their first lead of the game since they were up 5-2 at the 7:59 mark of the first quarter. 

Bezhanisvili knocked down a triple to give his team a three-point lead before Duane Notice iced the game by converting a lay-up to seal the final score at 82-77 the final.

Vancouver’s next home game is Saturday, June 17 when the Saskatchewan Rattlers visit Langley Events Centre. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. PT. 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.