Deng Adel’s six points in target score time helped the Ottawa BlackJacks (4-2) fend off the Edmonton Stingers (1-3) 91-85 tonight at the Edmonton Expo Centre. 

The former Cleveland Cavalier forward nearly finished with a triple-double, scoring a game-high 20 points to go with 9 rebounds and 8 assists in his second CEBL game of the season. 

The offensive outburst also came one day after Adel scored just 3 points and 8 rebounds in a 86-79 loss to the Calgary Surge. 

“Our energy was pretty low last game,” Adel said after the game. “I think we have a group that’s not scared to hold each other accountable and we had a good meeting this morning to talk about things we could do better.” 

With the win, the BlackJacks moved a half game up on the Brampton Honey Badgers for first place in the eastern conference. 

Ottawa head coach James Derouin applauded Adel’s performance tonight, adding that it’s not uncommon for star players to start slow in their first game of a new season and rebound in a big way.

“To have 20 points, 9 boards, 8 assists, a couple away from a triple-double in a FIBA game, says a lot of his versatility and ability to score,” Derouin said. “That’s the type of player he’s been in the CEBL and we’re thrilled to have him back.” 

While starters Jackson Rowe and Kadre Grey chipped in with 16 and 15 points respectively, it was Ottawa’s depth off the bench that propelled them to the win. 

The BlackJacks scored 23 bench points, highlighted by 11 from Tyrell Tate—who also netted 3 three pointers. James Jean-Marie also added 6 points and 4 rebounds. 

Ottawa knocked down their first six shots from the field to start the game, including their first five three pointers, and built a nine-point lead after one. Adel also scored 8 of his 20 points in the first. 

All said, the BlackJacks shot over 60 per cent from both the field and three point line in the first half. 

Despite the early lead, Ottawa was never able to grow their lead over 14 points, as Edmonton hung around by forcing turnovers and capitalizing on second chance points. 

“We were scoring at such a high rate that if we didn’t turn it over we would score,” Derouin said. “The second half, the threes stopped dropping a little bit, but we cut down on the turnovers and we cleaned up the glass.”

Edmonton scored 14 points off 10 Ottawa turnovers in the first half. The Stingers also had 10 offensive rebounds in the first two quarters. 

In total, Edmonton finished with 15 offensive rebounds. Ottawa, meanwhile, recorded 16 turnovers.

Brody Clarke (4) and Nick Hornsby (3) led the charge for Edmonton on the offensive glass. Adika Peter-McNeilly also added 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals off the bench. 

Although the Stingers were missing their leading scorer, Aher Uguak, for personal reasons tonight, Edmonton had four players score over 13 points. Guard Isiah Osbourne also added 15 points off the bench. 

Using those variety of sources, Edmonton ended the first half on a 15-6 to make it a 46-41 game at half. 

The game stayed tight in the third, but a Tate fadeaway three pointer at the buzzer helped Ottawa lead by seven going into the fourth. 

Adel, who hadn’t scored since the first quarter, then notched 12 in the fourth, including the first six points of target score time. The South Sudanese-Australian forward scored a three pointer to begin the frame and then got fouled—making the and one free throw—on a layup to bring Ottawa to within three points of the win. 

After a Jackson Rowe free throw brought Ottawa to two points of the win, Adel missed a jump shot from the elbow—but Kadre Gray was there to collect the miss, as his put back layup ended the game at 91. 

Stingers head coach Jordan Baker said his team showed strong resilience tonight and will take that as a positive moving forward. 

“I don’t think anyone could be faulted for their effort tonight,” he said. “Execution could be a bit better, but some guys made some timely plays, [but] we’re never out of it.” 

Edmonton will look to bounce back on Monday night on the road against Winnipeg. Ottawa, after splitting their two-game road trip in Alberta, will have one week off before squaring off against the Niagara River Lions on June 17 at TD Place. 

Full broadcast schedule of CEBL Games of the Week on TSN can be found here . All games will also be streamed live internationally on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+, and on the CEBL Mobile app for iOS and Android devices. 

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 71 percent of its 2022 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Nine players have moved from the CEBL into the NBA following a CEBL season, and 28 CEBL players attended NBA G League training camps during October. The CEBL season runs from May through August.  More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram , Twitter , TikTok , LinkedIn , Facebook & YouTube .