Sea Bears Look to Turn Page on Season Against Top-Seeded Bandits
By Zulfi Sheikh
The new-look Winnipeg Sea Bears (3-5) aim to end a four-game skid as they welcome the West-leading Vancouver Bandits to Canada Life Centre on Wednesday night.
For tickets, visit seabears.ca/tickets.
Although the Western Conference rivals met less than a week ago, a lot has changed since Vancouver’s 112-91 victory.
Notably, Winnipeg will be without Teddy Allen after parting ways with him Monday. At the time of his release, Allen led the league in average scoring (28.1 points per game) and was second in minutes (34.2), made threes (3.3) and free throw percentage (89.8).
His individual offensive production hadn’t translated to team success like in 2023 however, as the Sea Bears enter Wednesday on a four-game losing streak and sporting the league’s weakest defence. Winnipeg is giving up 98.8 points per game, the most in the CEBL, and through their losing streak have seen that number jump to 105.
The 112 points conceded to the Bandits last Thursday was the most given up by any team this season. Vancouver shot 56 per cent from the field, 51 per cent from three (14 of 27) and 88 per cent from the free throw line (16 of 18).
Despite the Sea Bears doing plenty offensively – scoring the third-most points per game in the CEBL (91.3) – their gaps on defence have proven too large. Allen’s CEBL-leading turnover rate (4.3) contributed to that.
The end of the Allen era comes at the beginning of Justin Wright-Foreman’s tenure in Winnipeg. The Sea Bears announced the signing of last year’s MVP runner-up last Monday, and he has since averaged 25.5 points, five rebounds and 1.5 steals per game in his first two contests with the club. Against the Bandits, Wright-Foreman finished with a team-high 29 points on 52 per cent shooting to go with six assists.
On the other side, the Bandits sport the best record in the CEBL and are in the midst of a league-best five-game win streak – their longest in franchise history.
It’s been a balanced showing for Vancouver as they rank second on both offence (92.8 points per game) and defence (82.6 points allowed per game).
And in the Bandits’ most recent victory, they avenged the lone blemish on their record to this point, picking up a 98-85 win against the Saskatchewan Rattlers. Taking on the only team to hand them a loss appeared to be something the Bandits took personally.
Vancouver, despite being outproduced in the paint and on the glass, was able to snag the win thanks to a late surge. The Bandits’ edge from distance (+8 made threes) kept them in the ball game, and come the fourth quarter, their defence carried them to victory. Saskatchewan was held to just nine points in the fourth quarter as Vancouver extended its win streak.
The Bandits were once again led by Tazé Moore, their do-it-all point guard. The import finished with a game-high 25 points, seven rebounds, nine assists and two steals. It was nearly a second consecutive triple-double after logging a monster line of 35 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists against Winnipeg the game prior.
Moore has steadily strengthened his early MVP case as the lone player in the top three for average points (21), rebounds (8.8), assists (8) and minutes (33.2) per game. There’s also the fact Vancouver remains undefeated with Moore in the lineup, as he was a scratch due to illness in their loss to the Rattlers.
Although there’s plenty of dynamism in the backcourt for fans to enjoy in this matchup, keep an eye on a battle inside the paint.
Winnipeg’s Byron Mullens, the league’s second-leading shot blocker (2.3) will look to slow down Nick Ward, the CEBL’s fifth leading scorer (18.9). The Vancouver forward took round one of the heavyweight bout, as Ward finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and two blocks compared to Mullens seven points and nine rebounds.
If the Sea Bears are going to turn around their defensive woes, the former first-round NBA draft pick will have to lead the charge. Mullens can do that by shutting down Ward in tonight’s matchup.
For tickets, visit
seabears.ca/tickets. Live coverage begins at 7 p.m. CT on TSN and on NLSE in the United States. Fans can also stream the action on CEBL+ powered by
BetVictor, TSN+, Courtside 1891 (outside North America) and on the Sea Bears mobile app.
About the Winnipeg Sea Bears
The Winnipeg Sea Bears joined the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) as an expansion franchise in 2023. The city's only professional basketball team plays out of Canada Life Centre from May to August in a 20-game regular season schedule. Winnipeg businessman and lawyer David Asper is the organization's owner and chairman.
More information on the Sea Bears can be found at seabears.ca and @wpgseabears on Instagram, X, TikTok, LinkedIn & Facebook.
About the CEBL
A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 75 per cent of its rosters being Canadian and a record 10 players with NBA experience in 2024. Players also bring experience from the NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, NCAA programs, as well as U SPORTS and CCAA. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August with games broadcast live on CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, TSN, TSN+, RDS, Game+, Next Level Sports & Entertainment andCourtside1891. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube
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