Vancouver Bandits downed the Edmonton Stingers 111-99 in a battle between two of the CEBL鈥檚 hottest teams at 91原创 Events Centre this weekend.
Vancouver snapped Edmonton鈥檚 seven-game win streak and extended its own to four games with the Sunday victory.
Scorching hot three-point shooting continued to make the difference for the Bandits. The home team connected on 17 threes in the win, their third consecutive game hitting at least 15.
Vancouver head coach Kyle Julius attributed the strong stretch of shooting to the team鈥檚 ability to generate open looks.
鈥淲e've been really moving the ball well 鈥� really unselfish. The guys have confidence in each other,鈥� Julius said.
The ball movement yielded 29 assists on Vancouver鈥檚 40 field goals on Sunday.
Duane Notice led the charge for Vancouver with 23 points in the win. With varying minutes throughout the season, Notice made the most of his opportunities in the past several games.
鈥淚 always try to stay ready. I mean it's cliche, but it's the truth. There's games where I don't play, there's games where I play the whole game, [and] there's games where I play spot minutes,鈥� Notice said.
鈥淪o, I just try to approach the game with the same mentality every time, which is 鈥楬ow can I impact the game and winning on both ends of the court'?鈥�
Bandits guard Corey Davis Jr. contributed 20 points and eight assists to the effort, while Mitch Creek returned to the lineup with 19 points.
Edmonton head coach Jordan Baker said the loss is a good wake-up call heading into their final six games.
鈥淭he details matter and we've got to play four quarters of basketball,鈥� Baker said.
The Stingers and Bandits meet again on Aug. 1 at Edmonton Expo Centre.
Lots of long-range shooting
Just two days earlier, red-hot three-point shooting again propelled the Bandits to a home-court win on Friday, July 18.
The Bandits connected on 17 trifectas on their way to a 100-79 win at 91原创 Events Centre that eliminated the Saskatchewan Rattlers from playoff contention.
Edmonton fans were also celebrate Vancouver鈥檚 win as it clinches a playoff berth for the Stingers.
In Friday's game, the back-court duo of Zach Copeland and Davis Jr. carried the offensive load for the Bandits, with Creek out of the lineup.
Copeland netted a game-high 26 points, while Davis notched a double-double with 25 points, 12 assists, and seven threes. Clutch contributions also came from Notice with 13 points, including the game winner.
Unselfish basketball pushed the Bandits to the convincing win, said Julius. Of Vancouver鈥檚 35 field goals, 29 were assisted.
鈥淲e'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,鈥� Julius concluded.
As for what's up next for the Vancouver Bandits, they're back in action on the road Friday, July 25, facing the Surge in Calgary.
