Montréal Alliance Stun Top-Seeded Winnipeg Sea Bears in Thrilling 89-85 win

Nathan Cayo’s season-high 28 points helped the Montréal Alliance (6-7) get an 99-85 victory over the Winnipeg Sea Bears (8-5), handing the team their second consecutive loss for just the first time this season.

It was an all-around performance for the big man as he also added 10 rebounds and five assists as part of a double-double performance. Cayo was efficient all night – passing his previous season-high of 22 – as he shot over 60 per cent from the field and distance.

He was joined by Treveon Graham who notched 18 points (including the game-winner), seven rebounds, and six assists, while the starting guard duo of Ahmed Hill and Alain Louis did their part by scoring 17 and 11 points respectively.

For Winnipeg it was the guard-forward duo of Teddy Allen and E.J. Anosike that did most of the team’s damage on the night. Allen put up 24 points, seven rebounds, and six assists, while Anosike added 24 of his own to go along with 14 rebounds in a double-double outing.

Despite neither team being known for their defensive prowess, that is what the fans were treated to as the first quarter got underway. Both Winnipeg and Montréal seemed more focused on limiting the other team’s success on the offensive end rather than getting into a groove themselves as they combined to shoot 35 per cent from the field throughout the frame.

Winnipeg made just seven field goals as the quarter came to a close, while Montréal, despite making only six baskets of their own from the field, held onto a slim 20-19 lead.

The second quarter was even more low scoring than the first as the teams combined to score just 35 points throughout the period. Winnipeg did take a quick seven-point lead off a Simon Hildebrandt triple but that was as large as the lead got as Montréal used a 9-2 run to tie things going into half-time.

However, Allen broke that tie by driving hard to the basket as the second quarter buzzer went off, drawing a foul and knocking down both free throws. Those were two of his team-high 10 points after two periods, giving the Sea Bears a slim 37-36 lead heading into the break.

Part of the Alliance’s ability to keep things close throughout the first half, even with their struggles scoring, was their impressive work securing the ball. The Alliance came into the contest as the CEBL’s second-weakest team on the glass, averaging 36.3 boards a game, facing one of the league’s best in a Sea Bears squad that averaged 43.2 a night. 

However, Montréal didn’t seem to care much about those numbers as they grabbed 20 rebounds in the half, keeping pace with the 23 Winnipeg got. 

Coming into the contest the showdown between Allen and Hill was advertised as the one to watch. However, neither really took command of the game throughout the first half.  In the third, Allen finally woke up and took on the scoring load for his team by scoring 12 of his team’s 24 points in the frame. 

Surprisingly, it wasn’t Hill who put together a response against Winnipeg’s leading scorer, it was the big man Cayo. On route to his season-high night the forward dropped 10 points in the third, none more important than a buzzer-beating triple he splashed that knotted the game at 62-62 to end the frame.

After a back-and-forth contest all night, it couldn’t have gotten more fitting than a fourth quarter that saw seven lead changes before the start of Target Score Time. It was the Alliance who took the last lead before the final section of the game as they used a 6-0 run to take a narrow 80-76 lead.

Fans inside the Verdun Auditorium were on their feet for what felt like the entirety of Target Time as the teams’ traded baskets for a majority of the period. Following a handful of missed shots by both teams, it was Hill – after knocking down a three moments prior – who thought he’d won the game after dropping in a layup only to be called for an offensive foul.

With their lead guard fouled out, things got worse for Montréal as the play resulted in a three-point swing with Anosike drilling a triple on the other end to make it 87-85. With momentum shifting, the Alliance were looking for one last answer and it was Graham who played the role of closer as he drove down the right side of the court and put up a floating hook shot off the glass and in, 89-85 the final.

With the victory Montréal jumps ahead of the Brampton Honey Badgers and into fourth place in the East and now get to rest for over a week. They’ll return to action on July 12 where they’ll continue with game three of a four-game home stand by taking on the Calgary Surge. 

“Look what we just did,” said Alliance head coach Derrick Alston Sr. on what his message to the team was post-game. “We have enough. Our margin of error is very small, but we have enough…you take these wins and tip my hat off because the guys have been working.”

The Sea Bears are now 0-2 on their current three-game road trip and have lost back-to-back games for just the first time this season. They’ll look to regroup ahead of a tough Western Conference matchup on Saturday against an Edmonton Stingers team that is now just two games behind them in the standings.

All games are available on TSN+ and CEBL+ powered by BetVictor. Recap written by Zulfi Sheikh (@zulfi_sheikh).

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