Winnipeg Sea Bears Notch First Franchise Victory Over Vancouver Bandits 90-85 in Front of Over 7,000 Fans

A clutch three pointer by Jelani Watson-Gayle in Target Score Time helped the Winnipeg Sea Bears (1-0) earn a 90-85 win over the Vancouver Bandits (0-1) in front of over 7,000 fans at the Canada Life Centre on Saturday evening.

Watson-Gayle, a native of London, UK, racked up 22 points off the bench and played a pivotal role in securing the Sea Bears their first CEBL win in franchise history.

After the game, he said the shot was the calming presence that Winnipeg needed to avoid squandering a 13-point lead in Target Score Time.

“We were scrambling, we didn’t have a rhythm,” Watson-Gayle said. “We needed something to settle us a bit, and I felt that three settled us to be like ‘you know what, it’s cool’ and we were able to finish it with a win.”

Both teams struggled to find a groove offensively in the first quarter.

The Bandits and Sea Bears combined to shoot just 10-31 from the field in the first. However, Nick Ward, one of Vancouver’s five big men who stand over 6’9”, asserted himself early in the paint. With Vancouver struggling to get field goals to fall, Ward made all five of his free throws in the first quarter to give the Bandits a 17-15 lead after one.

“Nick is a big body, he’s one of the best, if not the best big in the league,” Sea Bears forward Chad Posthumus said.

But Vancouver’s inability to make jump shots started to plague them in the second quarter.

Vancouver failed to get a three pointer to drop in the first half, while the Sea Bears—led by Watson-Gayle’s four first-half threes—jumped out to a six-point lead at the break.

Simon Hildebrandt, the number one overall pick from the CEBL’s U SPORTS Draft, played impactful minutes with Posthumus struggling with foul trouble. Hildebrandt scored five quick points in the third quarter to extend Winnipeg’s lead to 16 after three.

“I missed my first couple shots [of the game] but my teammates just kept on telling me to shoot the ball,” Hildebrandt said. “They have faith in me and it was a huge confidence boost that they trust me.”

Hildebrandt finished with 13 points and 4 rebounds in his CEBL debut.

Trailing 80-67 heading into Target Score Time, Vancouver finally started to get shots to fall. The Bandits went on a 7-1 run to begin Target Score Time—highlighted by five straight points from Giorgi Benzhanishvili—to cut Winnipeg’s lead to seven.

The Bandits used five of DJ Steward’s game-high 30 points in Target Score Time to briefly tie the game at 85. But then Winnipeg went on a 5-0 run punctuated by a Posthumus layup to seal the victory.

“We didn’t play the way we wanted to play until about six and a half minutes left in the game,” Vancouver Head Coach Kyle Julius said. “So we have to adjust, it’s our first game, I’m proud of the fight.”

Sea Bears Head Coach Michael Taylor said Winnipeg’s defence was crucial in stopping the Bandits’ late run. He added after the game that Watson-Gayle’s three was massive to shift momentum back on their side.

“We were searching for a way to get good shots,” Taylor said. “We weren’t executing like we needed to, the guys’ hearts were in the right place, they were trying, and then as luck would have it, the offensive rebound from Chad and the put-back [ended the game].” 

Carrying momentum throughout Target Score Time, Posthumus said, will be crucial for their team moving forward throughout the remainder of the season.

“We had a solid third quarter, for myself and as a team, heading into [Target Score Time], which is what you need to do in this league,” Posthumus said.

“As you can see, even with a 12 or 13-point lead, anyone can come back.”

The Sea Bears will travel to Brampton to face the reigning CEBL champions on Thursday June 1. Vancouver, meanwhile, will look to earn their first victory of 2023 against the Saskatchewan Rattlers on the road on Wednesday May 31.

All games are available on TSN+ and CEBL+ Powered By BetVictor.

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.