KELOWNA — After pulling off a couple of nailbiter wins in their previous contests, the Saskatoon Mamba had little go their way in their Canadian Elite Basketball League contest against the Vancouver Bandits on Saturday night.
The Bandits took a 96-68 lead into target time and while Saskatoon would get back to within 18 points, they’d be unable to get any closer, and Vancouver went on to a 105-85 win in a special edition game in Kelowna.
Vancouver wasted no time getting off to a fast start, taking a 29-15 lead out of the first quarter. Saskatoon battled back and trailed 54-42 at halftime, but the Bandits pulled away for good by outscoring the Mamba 29-15 in the third.
A quick 12-2 run to start target time saw Saskatoon close ground, but the massive deficit proved too much to overcome.
Jaylin Williams led Saskatoon’s offence with a 25-point outing, while Devonte Bandoo scored 16, Jamir Chaplin added 14 and Tavian Dunn-Martin 12. Tevian Jones scored 11 points and led the team with seven rebounds and six assists.
Jarkel Joiner topped Vancouver with 23 points, Tyrese Samuel had 22 points and nine rebounds. Miller Kopp scored 16 and had eight boards, Mychal Mulder added 16 and Grant Shephard 10. Duane Notice scored nine points while racking up 12 assists.
Saskatoon falls to 2-5 on the season and remain in fourth in the Western Conference, Vancouver improves to 6-2 and are now 2 ½ games up on the Winnipeg Sea Bears for first in the Conference.
The Mamba are now off until Wednesday, June 10 when they face the Calgary Surge at WinSport Event Centre in Calgary. Tip off is 7:30 p.m.