Slow-starting Sea Bears can’t solve Bandits

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This article was published 14/06/2024 (817 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Sea Bears found themselves in a big first-half hole they were never able to crawl out of Thursday night.

Despite a 29-point debut by newly acquired guard Justin Wright-Foreman, the Sea Bears fell behind by 20 points early and were drubbed 112-90 by the Vancouver Bandits in Canadian Elite Basketball League action before 4,000 fans at the Langley Events Centre.

Vancouver was led by guard Taze Moore, whose triple-double included a game-high 35 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists.

“It’s one of those situations where you’ve got to control the tempo of the game to be consistent and get your consistent defensive stops,” said Sea Bears GM and head coach Mike Taylor by phone. “I thought that there was some really good moments in the first half, but we were presented with some match-up opportunities when they switched that we didn’t capitalize on.”

Moore had a sensational first half, erupting for 14 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and one steal as the Bandits roared out to a 62-46 advantage at the intermission.

The Bandits also had big games from guard Koby Mcewen, who had 24 points, and centre Nick Ward, who chipped in with 20 points and eight rebounds.

The Western Conference-leading Bandits improved to 6-1 while the Sea Bears, losers of three consecutive road games, fell to 3-4 overall.

Teddy Allen had 24 points while Alex Campbell chipped in with 15 for the Sea Bears, who had won all four previous meetings with the Bandits.

Vancouver dominated the first half with a combination of superior shooting and defensive pressure.

Vancouver’s strong first half included a 8-for-15 mark from behind the arc while Winnipeg went 6-for-19. The Bandits finished the game with a 14-for-27 mark from three-point range while the visitors managed a 10-for-35.

Winnipeg appeared to be making a game of it after the break, rallying to within four points at 69-65 on an Allen three-pointer with 4:03 but the Bandits regained command to take a 96-71 lead with 7:50 left in the fourth quarter.

Vancouver led 103-82 at the start of Target Score Time.

“We were late matching up in transition, we were late in our pick-and-roll coverages and this is the second team in the row that really got hot against us,” said Taylor. “So from that standpoint, you dig a hole and then there’s a valiant fight back but it’s not enough. You want to be consistent.”

Winnipegger Emmanuel Akot, making his Sea Bears debut, scored six points.

The Sea Bears, who haven’t played at home since beating the Ottawa BlackJacks 93-80 on June 1, will host the Edmonton Stingers on Sunday at Canada Life Centre.

Game time is 2 p.m.

“The guys are not happy with the way we played and we know we’ve got a good opponent coming in,” said Taylor.

“It’s just about staying together and playing together. We’ve got all the talent in the world on the offensive end, but we’ve got to get back to work with our team defence, be connected on both ends of the floor and just generally play better to give ourselves a chance to win.”

The Sea Bears will then host the Bandits on Wednesday night.