Montréal Alliance Snap Two-Game Skid with 79-74 Win Over the Vancouver Bandits.

Treveon Graham’s season-high 24 points led the Montréal Alliance as they snapped a two-game losing streak in a 79-74 win over the Vancouver Bandits on Sunday night.

In his second game back from injury, after putting up just 11 in his last outing, the forward bounced back in a big way as he caught fire from distance. He went 6-10 from beyond the arch, none more pivotal than his final triple that put an end to the contest.

He was joined by the backcourt pairing of Alain Louis and Ahmed Hill as Montreal’s other double-digit scorers, with the duo scoring 21 and 17 points respectively. 

On the other side, Vancouver matched a season-low in scoring with their 74 points, in one of their worst shooting performances all year. The squad shot a meager 36 per cent from the field, and had only two players hit double figures, Malcolm Duvivier who notched 11 points on 4-13 shooting and rookie Diego Maffia with 10 points.

“We’re bad right now,” said Bandits’ head coach Kyle Julius following the team’s fourth loss in a row. “I don’t think it’s just the offence, it’s a bit of everything.” 

Fans at the Langley Events Centre were treated to a back-and-forth affair throughout the first quarter of this contest as they witnessed the lead change hand seven different times. The two squads shot an identical forty per cent but did their damage in different ways.

The Bandits found success from distance as they shot 44 per cent from beyond the arch, led by the sixth overall pick in this year’s CEBL U Sports Draft, Maffia, who dropped two triples in the final two minutes of the frame. Meanwhile the Alliance did their work by attacking inside, as they shot an efficient 54 per cent from two-point range, scoring all but six of their points from inside the arch. 

Montréal’s effort earned them a +6 edge on points in the paint, none more important than the final basket Hill laid up and in at the buzzer – after driving past the defending Benzhanishvili – giving Montréal an 18-17 lead after one.

Hill’s layup, and six points, seemingly concerned Vancouver enough that they decided to focus most of their defensive attention in the second on the lead guard, as they went into a box-and-one to try and stifle his production. 

“It slumped us for maybe two possessions,” said Alston Sr. post-game. “Ahmed [Hill] is really unselfish. He became a screener, and we got open shots for all the other guys.”

With Montréal’s top-scorer neutralized for much of the frame, putting up just two points, the team looked for someone else to step up. It seemed like that person was going to be Xavier Pinson – in his debut with the Alliance – as he scored four quick points in the second, but that notion came to an abrupt stop when the guard fell awkwardly and had to leave the game due to an apparent lower-body injury.

Despite the injury, Montréal still found their answer, and it was in the form of Louis. The guard scored six points in the frame as he helped the Alliance hold onto a 41-38 lead going into half time. 

Louis, like his team, found his success by attacking the basket. Vancouver’s box-and-one worked in terms of limiting Hill, but struggled handling Montréal’s relentless pressure inside, as their +6 advantage for interior points after one quarter turned into +16 by halftime, helping the squad gain said three-point edge.

“We preach paint touches,” said Alston Sr. on how his team found success scoring inside. “It doesn’t always have to be a finish, but you get to the paint and good things happen…and tonight it happened.”

The Alliance weren’t the only team who had a player making their debut, as Kur Jongkuch was also playing in his first game, making his presence felt for the Bandits as the third quarter got underway. He seemed to be all over the floor as his two points and two blocks helped spark a 7-2 run that flipped the lead to 47-45 in favour of Vancouver at the 4:58 mark of the frame. 

“Kur [Jongkuch] was definitely a bright spot,” said coach Julius post-game. “Probably should’ve given him minutes a lot sooner.” 

From that point on it looked like the Bandits were going to hold onto their lead the rest of the quarter, even extending it to three points, but like they’d done all night, Montréal had an answer. It was Graham who punched back as he drilled a three in the final seconds of the third, tying the ball game at 55 points a piece.

Even with the Alliance struggling from beyond the arch all night, shooting just 30 per cent, that splash was the forward’s fourth triple of the contest so far, on route to his game-high 16 points after three.

Louis got back in the mix for Montréal as well to give Graham some support in the early goings of the fourth quarter. The guard went on an individual 5-0 run which gave the Alliance back a one-point edge. However, Vancouver seemed determined to snap their three-game skid as they responded back immediately. 

A Doug Herring Jr. triple followed by a Jongkuch jumper gave the Bandits a 70-69 edge as the squads went into Target Score Time. 

Montréal, after finding success from inside the paint all night, finishing the contest +20 on interior points, won this game by knocking down their outside shots. Hill, after a quiet second half, drained a trey, and then Graham ended things in similar fashion by splashing a triple of his own. The big man was the team’s de facto closer on the night as he scored eight points in the fourth quarter to help Montréal leave the Langley Events Centre with a win.

The victory not only snapped the Alliance’s two-game skid, but it also helped break a tie with Brampton at the bottom of the Eastern Conference, as both teams fight for a playoff spot.  With only four games remaining for Montréal to secure their spot in this year’s playoffs, they’ll return to action on Wednesday against a fellow East team when they host the Scarborough Shooting Stars.

Vancouver with the loss extended their season-high losing streak and will now hit the road to take on the team above them in the standings in the Saskatchewan Rattlers on Wednesday at the SaskTel Centre.

All games are available on TSN+ and CEBL + powered by BetVictor. Recap written by Zulfi Sheikh (@zulfi_sheikh).

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