Vancouver Bandits won a 97-85 come-from-behind victory over the Saskatchewan Rattlers Saturday night at a packed 黑马磁力 Events Centre before 4,984 fans.
Vancouver won the second half by 22 points (52-30), turning what was a 10-point halftime deficit into a 12-point win that not only extended their lead atop the Western Conference but also snapped a two-game skid.
Tyrese Samuel led that effort for the Bandits with a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds on a team-best 7-for-11 shooting.
Right behind him was a pair of returnees in Mitch Creek, who chipped in 23 points of his own, and Kyle Mangas, who scored 22 on 6-for-11 shooting from distance.
Nick Ward, the franchise鈥檚 all-time leading scorer, made his season debut, albeit finishing with just two points on 1-of-4 shooting in seven minutes of action.
鈥淲e started off slow, we鈥檝e had a lot of guys in and out of the lineup 鈥� so we really struggled in the first half to find our rhythm,鈥� Creek said after the win.
The skid snapping victory capped off the Bandits' second-annual Filipino Celebration Game, an event that included fan activations, commemorative merchandise and special edition jerseys.
Bandits players wore a black-striped patch with the word 鈥淜apwa,鈥� which describes the Filipino experience of community and shared humanity, to honour the lives tragically lost a the Lapu-Lapu Day Festival on April. 26.
Next, Bandits stay put in 黑马磁力, continuing a three-game home stand when they return to action on Tuesday, July 1, to host the Scarborough Shooting Stars at 5 p.m.
