A tough first-half proved too much to overcome for the Vancouver Bandits and left head coach Kyle Julius with more questions than answers.

Calgary was playing its third game in five days while travelling from Ontario to B.C., but was able to edge past the Bandits as Vancouver fell 93-88 to the visiting Surge in Canadian Elite Basketball League action at Langley Events Centre on Sunday.

Vancouver trailed by as many 22 points in those opening 20 minutes and while they did manage to pull off a second-half rally to cut the deficit down to six points heading into the Elam Ending – and tying the score on two separate occasions during Target Score time – they could not find the defensive stop they needed with Calgary scoring the final five points.

Bandits’ Malcolm Duvivier in action on Sunday, June 25 at Langley Events Centre. Vancouver fell 93-88 to the visiting Surge in Canadian Elite Basketball League action. (Ansh Sanyal, CEBL/Special to Langley Advance Times)

“There are a few guys that really need to look in the mirror,” Julius said after the game.

“In pro basketball, with the way we provide the resources for these guys to get ready to play, we finally had a few days of practice to get ready before and the way some of our guys showed up not ready to play today is flat-out unacceptable,” Julius declared.

Nick Ward was the lone Bandit to make multiple field goals in the opening 20 minutes, as he was 6-for-7 from the field and scored 14 of his team’s 27 points.

But while Ward was shooting a high percentage, the rest of the Bandits were off in the first half, especially from beyond the arc as the team struggled, making just one of their 14 attempts, as they trailed 46-27 heading into the locker room.

Ward scored 14 points in each half and finished with a game-high 28 points and 16 rebounds while fellow Bandits big man Giorgi Bezhanishvili had a dominant second half, scoring 24 of his 26 points after halftime and also hauling down 10 rebounds, dishing out four assists, while also getting three steals and a blocked shot.

Giorgi B said “THIS IS FOR GEORGIA” 🇬🇪 #LikeABandit pic.twitter.com/buv9YxNudb

— Vancouver Bandits (@vancitybandits) June 26, 2023

Another bright spot for the Bandits was Diego Maffia. After playing limited minutes these past few games – and just 2:57 in the first half – the point guard was a factor down the stretch, scoring 12 points and dishing out three assists.

Ward, Bezhanishvili and Maffia were the only three Bandits to crack double figures in scoring. By comparison, five Calgary players scored 10 or more points, led by Sean Miller-Moore’s 23 – including the Target Score winning hoop.

Up next for the Bandits is a Canada Day home game as they welcome the Edmonton Stingers. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for a 7 p.m. tip-off.

It is the start of a home-and-home series between the two as Bandits will head to Edmonton on July 3 for the rematch.

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