Sea Bears Fall to Bandits 112-91

By Josh Kozelj

Taze Moore’s triple-double helped the Vancouver Bandits (6-1) remain undefeated at home with a 112-91 victory over the Winnipeg Sea Bears (3-4) on Thursday evening at Langley Events Centre.

The win marked Vancouver’s first-ever triumph over the Winnipeg Sea Bears, and increased their lead to one game in the Western Conference over the idle Saskatchewan Rattlers. With the victory, Vancouver is also two wins away from matching their win total from all of last season.

Moore, who finished with a game-high 35 points, 15 rebounds and 16 assists, recorded the fifth triple double in CEBL history and first in Bandits history. He shot more than 70 per cent from the field and committed only four turnovers. His 35 points were also a franchise record.

“I don’t normally single guys out in the locker room for an offensive performance, but that was special,” said Bandits head coach Kyle Julius after the game. “He did it without being selfish. He picked and chose his times – he kept moving the ball.”

Before tonight, there had only been three triple-doubles in league history There were two this evening, also including one by Niagara’s Omari Moore earlier tonight.

Moore’s performance spoiled Justin Wright-Foreman’s return to the CEBL. Wright-Foreman, who averaged nearly 30 points per game with Saskatchewan in 2023, finished with 29 points in his first game with Winnipeg. His backcourt mate, reigning league MVP and current league scoring leader Teddy Allen, racked up 24 points.

Koby McEwen also had 24 points and six triples.

“For a first game, I thought [Wright-Foreman] was good,” said Sea Bears head coach Mike Taylor. “It’s a work in progress, but I think overall, it was really positive for him.”

Despite Moore’s strong game, Wright-Foreman’s presence was evident right from opening tip.

The 2023 CEBL scoring leader drew heavy attention at the top of the key before setting up Alex Campbell in the corner with a three to draw first blood for the Sea Bears. But after the bucket by Campbell — the Bandits’ all-time leading scorer making his first return to Vancouver tonight — the momentum started to swing in favour of the Bandits.

Moore, who was one assist shy of recording a triple double in the first half, knocked down a three from the centre court logo to edge the Bandits ahead 14-12 later in the frame. The former Portland Trail Blazer then started an effective give-and-go game with Nick Ward, who finished with 20 points and eight rebounds.

On back-to-back possessions to end the first quarter, Moore found space penetrating in the paint to set up Ward with easy layups under the hoop. He ended up assisting on four of Ward’s buckets in the first half.

While Moore and Ward excelled in their own two-man game, Julius also credited his team’s chemistry in the victory tonight.

“That whole locker room is full of great chemistry. If you come to practice, you’ll see there’s great chemistry,” Julius said. “Taze wasn’t even at practice the last three days, he was at NBA workouts. We added some new stuff, we showed him this morning and he picked it up quite quickly.” 

After taking a 28-21 lead into the second quarter, Teddy Allen cut Vancouver’s lead to four. But a pair of consecutive triples by Koby McEwen capped off a 10-0 Bandit run. Wright-Foreman, who missed seven of his first nine shots in the first quarter, tried to keep Winnipeg in the game. The Brooklyn, N.Y. product scored 10 points in the quarter — highlighted by a hesitation three pointer from the top of the arc that chipped Vancouver’s lead to 16 points by halftime.

The Sea Bears continued to erase the deficit in the third quarter on the backs of Allen and Wright-Foreman.

The duo combined for 15 points in the frame, however, Moore notched his triple-double with an assist on a Duane Notice three to give the Bandits a 13-point lead at the break. Shortly after securing his 10^th assist of the game, he went on an individual 5-0 run, highlighted by a spin move in the post with Wright-Foreman in defence.

The Bandits went on a 10-0 run to begin the fourth. And while Allen and Wright-Foreman did their best to keep Winnipeg within striking distance, Vancouver took a 103-82 lead heading into Target Score Time. 

The Sea Bears then rallied to within 16 points, but Moore quickly closed the door, scoring the Bandits final seven points, including the game-clinching three pointer.

As a team, Winnipeg struggled to get anything going behind the three point line, shooting 28 per cent on 35 attempts. They also only combined for 11 total assists compared to Vancouver’s 21.

“I look down at the box score and see 11 assists as a team, so we need to get the ball moving better,” Taylor said. “I love the way we fought back in the third quarter, but we’ve been playing from behind a lot the last two games.”

Vancouver, meanwhile, shot more than 50 per cent from both three and the field overall.

The two teams will square off again next Wednesday in Winnipeg.

Following their sixth win of the season, Vancouver will host Saskatchewan on Saturday night.

Winnipeg, who has now lost three games in a row, will travel home for the first of five straight games at Canada Life Centre. The Sea Bears will play the Edmonton Stingers on Sunday. For tickets, visit seabears.ca/tickets.