Vancouver builds 63-47 lead at halftime, go on the 124-95 victory at SaskTel Centre
SASKATOON — It was a tough start to the Canadian Elite Baseball League season for the Saskatoon Mamba on Thursday afternoon at SaskTel Centre.
The Vancouver Bandits built a lead in the opening moments of the first quarter and never looked back on their way to a 124-95 victory in the season opener for both clubs.
Dajuan Gordon scored the first points of the season for Saskatoon six seconds into the game, but that would be the last time the Mamba held the lead, as Vancouver put together a 12-3 run over the next four minutes and went ahead for the duration of the contest.
That translated into a 32-21 lead after the first quarter, 63-47 Bandits edge at halftime and Vancouver outscoring Saskatoon 32-17 in the third quarter.
Gordon would go on to lead the Mamba offence on the day, putting up 20 points on 7-for-16 shooting, while Trey Townsend came off the bench and played more than 29 minutes, scoring 15 points. Jaylin Williams added 15 points and eight rebounds, Tavian Dunn-Martin scored 12.
Even though Saskatoon nearly hit double digits on offence, Vancouver was able to give the Mamba trouble on defence, recording 36 points on turnovers. Jalen House led the way for a Bandits offence that saw all five starters hit double digits, scoring 33 points while hauling in 10 rebounds. Tyrese Samuel scored 24 points, Tevian Jones 19 and Mychal Mulder 18 to go along with seven rebounds. Miller Kopp rounded out the Bandits starting five with 12 points, while Dominic Parolin scored 11 off the bench.
Saskatoon is back in action Saturday when they travel to Winnipeg to face the Sea Bears, with tip off at 6 p.m. Next home action is Friday, May 29 when Winnipeg makes the trip to SaskTel Centre, with action getting underway at 7:30 p.m.