Full Game Highlights | Bandits vs. Saskatchewan Rattlers (07/18/2025)

Red-hot three-point shooting propelled the Vancouver Bandits to their third straight win on Friday (July 18). The Bandits connected on 17 trifectas on their way to a 100-79 win at Langley Events Centre that eliminated the Saskatchewan Rattlers from playoff contention. Edmonton fans can also celebrate Vancouver’s win as it clinches a playoff berth for the Stingers. The backcourt duo of Zach Copeland and Corey Davis Jr. carried the offensive load for the Bandits on Friday with Mitch Creek out of the lineup. Copeland netted a game-high 26 points, while Davis Jr. notched a double-double with 25 points, 12 assists and seven threes. Clutch contributions also came from Duane Notice with 13 points, including the game winner. Davis Jr.'s 12 assists pushed him past the 200 mark for his CEBL regular season career. On Tuesday, his single season assist record was broken by Saskatchewan guard Nate Pierre-Louis. “[Pierre-Louis] is a great basketball player and he does it the right way. So it's kudos to him. I'm pretty sure if I was here the whole season, I'd probably still be holding on to that. I feel a way about it but nonetheless,” Davis Jr. said. Unselfish basketball pushed the Bandits to the convincing win. Of Vancouver’s 35 field goals, 29 were assisted. The Bandits bounced back from 11 first-half turnovers and seven offensive rebounds allowed to take control in the second. “We've just been moving the ball really well. Our assists have been high, our three-point makes and percentage has been high and it's actually been fun to watch to be honest,” Vancouver head coach Kyle Julius said. For Saskatchewan, head coach Eric Magdanz said the team will continue to battle despite its elimination from the playoffs. “Our team has been nothing but competitive this whole year,” he said. “They're a great group of pros and a big thing we've talked about right from the start is saying this isn't the end of the road for any of us. We're all trying to see what's next and advance [our] career.” Recent additions Alex Garcia and Tevian Jones were bright spots for the Rattlers in the loss. With Pierre-Louis out, Garcia stepped up with 25 points in just his third professional game and Jones tallied 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists. “I've had some of the best [coaching] I feel like in the world, and that's really prepared me to play at this level,” Garcia said. “I put in the skill work but more than anything if … you're under skilled, you can play with better competition if you have the mind for it.” The Bandits opened the game strong, but the Rattlers responded quickly. A balanced attack, highlighted by a pair of and-ones from Garcia and Isaac Simon, helped Saskatchewan gain the lead and maintain it throughout the first quarter. Down just five to begin the second, Nick Ward settled in for Vancouver with back-to-back contact finishes inside. But the Bandits couldn’t gain ground, as Devonté Bandoo’s hot shooting pushed the Rattlers’ lead even further, forcing a Julius timeout. An 11-3 run for Saskatchewan capped by a transition jam from Elijah Ifejeh prompted another timeout from Julius. Vancouver narrowed the gap to close the half, culminating in a buzzer-beating corner three from Notice to make it a two-point game heading into the locker room. Copeland drove to the rack and finished through contact to knot the game at 45 to open the third. Kur Jongkuch added another layup on the following Bandits’ possession to seize the lead for the first time since early in the first quarter. The trio of Copeland, James Karnik and Davis Jr. made major contributions in the third to give the Bandits a 73-65 lead. Notice delivered another pair of clutch buckets in the fourth and the Bandits locked in defensively. Jongkuch rocked the rim with an alley-oop to cap a 17-10 run and carry a 15-point lead into the final stretch. Vancouver made quick work of Target Score Time, with another alley-oop to Jongkuch, a triple from Davis Jr. and two buckets from Notice — including a contact layup to win it. The Bandits handed the Rattlers a sweep in the season series, while winning their fourth straight at home as well. Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600651

Five players who are currently on the Vancouver Bandits roster or have previously played for the club are listed on rosters for the NBA 2K26 Las Vegas Summer League, currently going on until July 20, 2025. The NBA 2K26 Las Vegas Summer League, featuring all 30 NBA teams, will be held July 10-20 at the Thomas & Mack Center and Pavilion on the UNLV campus. Every team will play at least five games. After each team completes four games, the top four teams will advance to a playoff round contested July 19-20. The remaining 26 teams will play a fifth game July 18-20. Three members of the 2025 Bandits roster, as well as two players from the 2023 Bandits squad will be represented across five NBA Summer League clubs, respectively. All current Bandits players have been placed in on the club's Suspended List in order for them to participate in NBA Summer League play while also retaining their CEBL rights, with the option to return to the club at the conclusion of their commitments. Canadian forward Tyrese Samuel will suit up for the Brooklyn Nets. Appearing and starting in 10 games this season, Samuel posting averages of 18.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists while also tying the Bandits single-game scoring record with 36 points on May 15, 2025. The San Antonio Spurs will feature sharpshooting guard Kyle Mangas. Prior to departing the Bandits roster for Las Vegas, Mangas led the squad in three-pointers made (3.7) while also ranking third on the roster in points (17.8), rebounds (5.3) and assists (3.8) per game. Rounding out the list of current Bandits at NBA Summer League is guard Izaiah Brockington, who will be joining the Los Angeles Clippers. In the first eight games of the 2025 CEBL season, Brockington averaged 10.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists while also finishing in double-digit scoring on four occasions. A member of the 2023 Bandits roster, DJ Steward is a member of the Los Angeles Lakers Summer League Team. Appearing in the first two games of the 2023 CEBL season, he recorded a 30 point, seven assist, four rebound performance in his CEBL debut on May 27, 2023. MJ Walker, who suited up in nine games for the Bandits in 2023, joins the Charlotte Hornets for this year's Summer League campaign.

It wasn’t always easy, but the Vancouver Bandits triumphed over the Montreal Alliance 94-87 to become the first team to punch their ticket to the 2025 CEBL playoffs. Vancouver got up to as much as a 19-point lead early in the third quarter and looked well on their way to securing the victory. Unfortunately for them, Montreal wasn’t willing to go down that easy and came roaring back to make it anyone’s game heading into Target Time. The Bandits were led by Zach Copeland, who set a franchise record with eight made three-pointers, breaking his own previous record of seven. He finished with 36 points on the night – tying teammates Mitch Creek and Tyrese Samuel for the franchise record. Corey Davis Jr. had 14 points and 10 assists for his fourth double-double in the last five games, Mikyle McIntosh had 15 points and seven rebounds, and Duane Notice notched 12 points in the win. “I’ve just been locked in these past few games,” Copeland said from the sidelines following the game. “One of our main players in Mitch (Creek) was down today, so everyone had to step up and that’s just what I was trying to do.” “Very important,” he said about his team securing a spot in the post-season. “We want to establish homecourt advantage for the playoffs, so we just wanted to come in here and give it our all. It’s been a tough road trip, three games in four days. So, we were just trying to finish strong.” Things got off to a fiery start as the teams combined to hit 19 of 29 shots in the first quarter, including the Bandits making their first eight from the field. Three-point shooting was pivotal to Vancouver’s early success, as they hit their first five from beyond the arc and six total in the quarter. The second quarter saw a shift in momentum as the Alliance slowed the pace and let their defense take over, holding the Bandits to just 5 of 19 shooting in the period. Unfortunately for the home squad, three-pointers and second-chance points — an area in which the Bandits held a 13–0 advantage at the half — dictated the game and allowed the visitors to carry a 48–41 lead into the break. Coming into the second half, the Bandits looked to put the game away early by starting on a 16-4 run. After a pair of timeouts, the Alliance were able to chip away at the seemingly insurmountable lead by going on a 12-0 run of their own and cut the deficit down to single digits. “I think the biggest thing for us is just putting 40 minutes together,” Abdul Mohamed said of his team’s performance on the season. “There are times where we put two quarters, three quarters together, but putting together the full 40 is important in this league because any team can go on a massive run, just like you saw from us. Just putting 40 minutes together is big.” Mohamed had 16 points – all of them coming in the second half – to go along with four rebounds. Kevin Osawe led the team with 17 points and added five rebounds, Tavian Dunn Martin had 13 points and eight assists, O.D Anosike had 11 points and eight rebounds, while Shamiel Stevenson added 10 points for the Alliance. “I put a lot of pressure on myself to help the team in any way,” Mohamed said. “The organization, the coaches and the ownership all look at me as a player that needs to contribute, so there’s immense pressure and I take it with full responsibility. Whatever the team needs, whether it’s defense or making shots – anything, I’m willing to do it.” Montreal was able to cut the lead down to 85-80 heading into Target Time and even tied the game at 87-87 to give themselves a chance to win. Put a 7-0 run by the Bandits – capped by Copeland’s record setting three-pointer and a subsequent free throw – dashed the hopes of the home crowd. The loss dropped the Alliance to 6-8 on the season with just two wins in their last ten games. It was the second straight win for the now 13-4 Bandits, who extend their lead at the top of the standings. Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600640