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Vancouver Bandits

Bandits Fall to River Lions, Face Ottawa on Saturday

July 8, 2021 - Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL)
Vancouver Bandits News Release


ABBOTSFORD, B.C. - The Niagara River Lions (3-2) caught fire in the third quarter, dropping 37 points en-route to a convincing 103-82 victory over the Fraser Valley Bandits (4-1) at the Meridian Centre on Thursday evening.

The River Lions used a 20-2 spurt near the start of the third frame to pull away from the Bandits, and never relinquished the lead after that. Despite missing three of its best players in Kassius Robertson, Trae Bell-Haynes and Phil Scrubb, Niagara's hustle and energy were the difference in the win.

Niagara used Fraser Valley's aggressive and fast-paced play style to its advantage, dominating the Bandits 32-4 in points off turnovers and 26-11 in fast-break points. Every time a loose ball fell to the floor, it seemed like a River Lions player was off and running towards the basket for an easy hoop.

"I think that's who we are. We're an aggressive defensive team," said River Lions' head coach Victor Raso after the game. "It's our strength, it was one of our keys to get out and run this game."

Xavier Sneed led the way for Niagara with 20 points, but he was far from the only River Lion to make an impact.

Jaylen Babb-Harrison provided instant offense with 19 points, Javin DeLaurier played his best game as a pro, putting up an 18-point, 17-rebound double-double, and Guillaume Payen-Boucard chipped in across the board with 12 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, four steals and a block.

"Guillaume is just tough, we've known that for a long time," said Raso. "He plays super hard."

"I try to be able to impact the game as much as I can," said Payen-Boucard, "Just being aggressive on the boards, talking on defense, being in the right place on offense and just staying aggressive."

Even though the River Lions put up a season-high tying 103 points, they only shot 29% from deep. The majority of their offense came near the basket, with players like DeLaurier, Payen-Boucard and Olu Ashaolu helping Niagara outscore Fraser Valley 58-24 in the paint.

Between getting dominated on the fast break and near the rim, the Bandits were beat at their own game on Thursday. Typically, the team bullying other squads with physical play and energy, Fraser Valley got a taste of its own medicine.

"We just had a bad night. I thought they wanted it more and they deserved to win," said Bandits' head coach David Singleton. "We never really found our rhythm and flow, missed a lot of easy shots, they outworked us and outhustled us. We have to be a lot better."

Malcolm Duviver led the Bandits in scoring with 17 points on efficient 6-12 shooting from the floor. The rest of the team combined to shoot only 19-61 (31%) from the field. Fraser Valley also had five players cough up at least three turnovers. While it was a rough performance overall, a strong Elam Ending performance could turn into momentum for the still-strong 4-1 Bandits despite the loss.

"We're a good team, we know how to win, we have good players," said Singleton. "We just found a lineup that worked on the court at that time, but really it doesn't matter, it was too late."

Fraser Valley will look to regain its form as the team continues its Ontario road trip, facing the Ottawa BlackJacks on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. PT/7:00 p.m. ET.

Meanwhile, Niagara will look to keep up its winning ways on Sunday as the River Lions take on the Hamilton Honey Badgers on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET.

All CEBL games will be available for live streaming on the CEBL's new OTT streaming service CEBL+, cbcsports.ca, the free CBC Gem streaming service, the CBC Sports App for iOS and android devices, and on Twitch.

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