Calgary Surge snap two-game skid with 77-74 win over Montréal Alliance

Stefan Smith’s 20-point night led the Calgary Surge (8-7) to a much-needed win as they snapped a two-game losing streak in a 77-74 road victory over the Montréal Alliance (6-8).

It was Smith’s second highest scoring output this season as he finished the game with 20 points, six rebounds and three assists. The guard did most of his damage in the second half, as he notched 12 points through the third and fourth, on route to an efficient 52 per cent field goal shooting to end his night. 

Smith has been part of a trio of scorers for the Surge all season, and tonight was no different. The guard, alongside Rugzy Miller-Moore and Simi Shittu entered the night averaging a combined 47 points a game and held pace with that as the big three totalled 52 points collectively. Miller-Moore contributed with his 18 points and five assists, while Simi Shittu tallied 14 points and 12 rebounds in a double-double performance. 

“We’re all dynamic players,” Smith said on the trio’s play so far when asked post-game. “We understand our role is to score a little more…but it’s great teammates we have around us too. It’s not just us three…it the other guys also playing hard and finding us.”

On the other side Montréal’s top scorer was Ahmed Hill who put up 25 points, eight rebounds and three assists, doing so on an efficient 40 per cent from the field. The only other double-digit scorer on the night for the Alliance was Alain Louis who scored 14 points to go with nine rebounds and five assists. 

Despite Nathan Cayo coming into the game on fire over the team’s previous three contests (24.3 PPG), he struggled all night as he finished with just seven points on 2-11 shooting from the field.

A back-and-forth affair is what fans at Verdun Auditorium were treated to early as their squad looked to get their first series sweep in franchise history. Neither the Alliance nor the Surge pulled away throughout the quarter, as the two squads couldn’t hold onto the ball for what felt like the entire frame.  They combine for eight giveaways throughout the first, trading fastbreak points just about every other possession.

It was looking like a layup line for a majority of the quarter until the final seconds turned into a shoot-out as Montréal’s Kemmy Ossé and Calgary’s Miller-Moore traded triples, ending the frame with the Surge up 21-20.

The second quarter felt nearly identical to the first as the high rate of giveaways made it difficult for either team to find enough momentum to gain a sizeable advantage. The lead changed sides six different times throughout the frame as fans waited for one of these squads to put together a run.

Both squads entered the contest on opposite ends of the rankings when it came to turnover rate, with the Alliance (13 TOPG) being one of the most disciplined teams in the CEBL, versus the Surge who led the league (16.4 TOPG). Those numbers didn’t seem to matter much throughout the first half however, as both teams committed seven turnovers.

It was looking like the Surge finally had found a spark as they dropped back-to-back triples by way of Mason Bourcier and Maurice Calloo, but just like the ending in the first quarter, a late trey from Montréal halted that momentum. This time it was Hill who did the honours when he took the ball up the court with just six seconds left on the game clock, stepping back and knocking down a three-pointer. 

The splash from distance put him at 10 points, which led all scorers at halftime, as the two teams remained tied at 36 a piece going into the break.

Smith came out of the locker rooms looking strong for Calgary as he scored five quick points, part of an 8-3 run that gave the Surge an eight-point lead, the biggest margin till that point. However, unsurprisingly, the Alliance immediately responded by going on a 9-2 run of their own to make it 48-47 at the 4:58 mark, cutting the lead to one possession.

It was Louis who was the catalyst for that run as he scored seven of his 14 points on the night, in the third. The guard had an opportunity to end his impressive quarter by giving Montréal a lead, but missed back-to-back free throws as his team had to settle for a 55-54 deficit going into the fourth.

Calgary’s leading scorer all night wasted no time punching back as the final frame got underway. Smith took over and scored nine points throughout the quarter doing most of his damage by attacking the basket. He led a Surge squad that made it a point of emphasis to attack inside and dominate the painted area. They finished the night +16 on points in the paint as they shot an efficient 51 per cent from two-point range.

The result of Smith’s efforts was a 68-65 lead as Target Score Time underway, and fans were then treated to an ending that was as fitting as they could’ve hoped for in the back-and-forth affair. Both teams’ star players traded baskets as Hill put up six of his team’s final nine points while Miller-Moore dropped five of his own.

With Calgary up 75-74, it wasn’t either of those guards who sent the squads to their locker rooms for the last time tonight, instead it was Calgary’s big man Shittu. After grabbing the final of his three offensive boards, the forward got fouled on the putback attempt and was sent to the line, needing both free throws in order to end things.

Shittu’s success on the night, and on that play, was helped by absence of Treveon Graham who was a late scratch for the Alliance. At least, that’s what Louis thought when asked about that final possession post-game.

“It was huge,” Louis said on the absence of Graham. “With him on the floor, I don’t think they get that rebound. That’s one of his best traits…out there he’s a leader and we missed him very much.”

With a roaring Montréal crowd trying to shake Shittu’s focus, the big man swiftly knocked down both shots from the line and promptly turned and shushed the crowd as his teammates embraced him, 77-74 the final.

The Alliance get no time to dwell on the loss as they hit the road and head West to, once again, take on the Winnipeg Sea Bears on Friday, their second time facing off in less than two weeks. 

Meanwhile the Surge stay on the road to finish up a three-game trip on Sunday where they also take on the Sea Bears in what’ll be a one versus two head-to-head atop the Western Conference.

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

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