Vancouver Bandits & Connect FM Partner to Broadcast First-Ever Canadian Elite Basketball Game in Punjabi

In a battle between the Western Conference’s top two teams, the Calgary Surge pushed the pace on their way to a convincing win over the Vancouver Bandits on Sunday (June 20). Calgary’s 100-83 victory vaults the team atop the CEBL standings at 8-3, winning both meetings with their rivals from Vancouver so far this season. The second loss to Calgary marks the first time Vancouver has lost consecutive games this year and snaps a four-game winning streak on the road. Both squads were coming off losses to Western Conference rivals heading into Sunday’s clash at WinSport Event Centre, but a massive 33-13 second quarter propelled the Surge to a comfortable win. After allowing 31 points in the first quarter, Calgary head coach Kaleb Canales said the team got back to its bread and butter. “In the team huddle, we just kept talking about [how] our brand of basketball is defence to offence. We had to get more activity on the ball and our weak side tighter. And I thought the guys did a great job of executing the game plan,” Canales said. Six Surge players scored in double figures, with Greg Brown III’s 24 points leading the way. The NBA-experienced forward scored the Target Score Winner at the line and added eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks. Brown III felt the Surge were already the best team in the league before Sunday’s win. “We already beat Vancouver the first time by 15 – now we beat them by 20. We showed we’re the best team in the league,” Brown III said. Sean Miller-Moore tallied 20 points, five rebounds and five assists for the Surge while Olumide Adelodun netted 17 off the bench. Jameer Nelson Jr., Khyri Thomas, and Javonté Brown rounded out the Calgary attack with 11 points apiece. As a team, Calgary dished 29 assists while winning the battles on the fastbreak and in the paint. The Surge were a menace on defence as well, forcing 29 turnovers – including 14 steals – and blocking six shots. Vancouver head coach Kyle Julius said it was noticeable the squad was shorthanded, including the absence of Mitch Creek due to injury late in Friday’s loss to Winnipeg. He said the team didn’t stick with what was working after a strong first quarter. “The game plan worked great in the first quarter and then it ended. Then it stopped,” Julius said. Duane Notice and Curtis Hollis each scored 15 to pace the Bandits’ offence in Creek’s absence, while recent acquisition Zach Copeland netted 12 off the bench in his second game of the season. Copeland played with Vancouver last year and is confident they’ll figure things out. “We had some rough patches last year too and we made it to the final. So [we have to] keep a level head and just keep going,” he said. To open the game, defence was difficult to find. The Surge and Bandits both started hot offensively and hung tight with eight lead changes. Calgary showcased its athletic pedigree with high-flying finishes from Brown III and Miller-Moore. However, the Bandits showed off their long-range accuracy and carried a 31-25 lead after 10 minutes. In the second quarter, the Surge continued to excel offensively while locking in on defence. After a back-and-forth start to the frame, Calgary finished the half on a 25-6 run. While the usual suspects of Brown III, Miller-Moore, and Nelson Jr. all contributed, the supporting cast stole the show in the second quarter. Big man Javonté Brown made plays on both ends, while Adelodun caught fire from beyond the arc and Thomas carried the offence early. Adelodun led all scorers with 14 points and Calgary carried a 58-44 advantage heading into the locker room. “It's good to see the work show and that’s actually all that matters at the end of the day,” Adelodun said. The third quarter proved why basketball is known as a game of runs. The Surge looked poised to run away with the win after an 11-2 run to open the half, taking a 23-point lead. The stretch was highlighted by Miller-Moore buckets at all three levels, including an off-backboard transition alley-oop from Nelson Jr. Out of a timeout, the Bandits stormed back with a 13-2 run of their own with long-range shooting from Hollis, Copeland and Corey Davis Jr. But the Surge closed the quarter on yet another run to lead 81-64 ahead of the fourth. Vancouver climbed back to cut the deficit to 10, but four straight points from Brown III gave Calgary a 14-point lead before Target Score Time. Brown III continued to assert himself in the final stretch with help from his running mates, Miller-Moore and Nelson Jr. A putback from Brown III put the Surge one point away before he ended the game at the free throw line. Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600616

Highlights of the Vancouver Bandits against the Calgary Surge on June 22, 2025.

Terry Roberts caught fire in Target Score Time to secure a statement road win for the Winnipeg Sea Bears on Friday (June 20). The Sea Bears weathered a fourth quarter run from the Bandits to win 92-85 in front of a packed house at Langley Events Centre. Winnipeg picked up its fourth straight victory and ended Vancouver’s three-game winning streak in the process. The trio of Roberts, Jalen Harris and Simi Shittu carried the offensive load for Winnipeg with a combined 74 points in the victory. Roberts netted 25 points, including the final seven points of Target Score Time, and Harris showed off his ability to score at all three levels with 22 points on 10-20 shooting from the field. “I love the fact that we've got two dynamic play-making guards,” Winnipeg head coach Mike Taylor said. “There are times when Jalen Harris carried us in the first half and then they … put [their] best defenders on him. And then Terry is dynamic enough to go make plays. I think a lot of people would say shooting threes is not his forte – he's a guy that's attacking the paint – but he's just a guy that makes winning plays.” Taylor added that Shittu is a game-changer for the Sea Bears as well. The big man from Vanderbilt notched a double-double with a team-high 27 points and 14 rebounds. Shittu said the win will help build confidence for the Championship Weekend hosts. “As a team, we just came together and we saw what we’re made of down the stretch. It was good for us,” Shittu said. On the other side, Aussie Mitch Creek continued his MVP-calibre start to the season with 29 points, seven rebounds and four assists before leaving the game with an injury in Target Time. Vancouver head coach Kyle Julius voiced his frustration with losing Creek and said the team will have to evaluate its slow starts after going down by double digits in back-to-back games. “We've had some really soft starts. I thought tonight overall we were soft. The main takeaway is that we were soft overall,” Julius said. Curtis Hollis added 14 for Vancouver with recent acquisitions James Karnik and Corey Davis Jr. contributing in just their second game of the season as well. Karnik battled inside with 12 points and eight rebounds, while Davis Jr. was lethal from long range with 16 points and seven assists. Davis Jr. said the Bandits did a good job of fighting back in the third and fourth quarter, but the second quarter hurt them. “We did fight hard – we brought it back to be able to win the game – and I think that's always something you can look back on and build from. But I mean putting yourself in those types of situations is something that we have to stay away from,” Davis Jr. said. The star power for both teams was on full display in a fast-paced start to the game. Creek showed off inside touch and Davis Jr. hit from distance for Vancouver. Meanwhile, Shittu was a force on the boards and Harris cooked from mid-range for Winnipeg. The west coast squads traded leads late in the first, with a buzzer-beating corner three from Nathan Bilamu putting Winnipeg ahead 21-20 after 10 minutes. The Bandits and Sea Bears hung tight early in the second, but Winnipeg took control with a 17-4 run and led by as much as 13. The Sea Bears were active on the offensive glass during the stretch, with highlight-reel putbacks from Shittu and Harris. Vancouver started to pick up the pace late in the half, but Winnipeg caught fire from long range and carried a 54-42 lead into the locker room. The Bandits climbed back with an 11-2 run to start the second half and made it a one-possession game. Out of a timeout, however, the Sea Bears regained a double-digit lead capped by an and-one from Shittu. Creek and Shittu exchanged buckets to close the quarter with Winnipeg taking a 75-70 advantage into the fourth. Five free throws and a floater from Curtis Hollis tied the contest at 77 early in the final frame. With the shot clock winding down, Creek drove strong to the hoop to give Vancouver its first lead of the half. After trading leads, Harris buried a mid-range jumper for Winnipeg to head into the final stretch with a one-point advantage and a target of 92. Hollis kicked off Target Score Time with a triple, but a Shittu slam and four straight points from Roberts left the Sea Bears three points from victory. Roberts stayed hot and buried a contested wing trifecta to finish the game. Box Score https://www.cebl.ca/game?id=2600612