Vancouver Bandits pull off comeback win over the Montreal Alliance

JEN FIELD/ GATG

The Vancouver Bandits pulled off an exciting comeback victory against the Montreal Alliance on June 14, 2025. Both teams came into the match up at the top of their respective conferences. Though Montreal has played three fewer games so far, with a record of 4 wins and 1 loss, compared to the Bandits 7 wins and 1 loss.

The Bandits came into the game with a couple of new and returning faces as 2 star players were put on the Suspended List. Tyrese Samuel and Izaiah Brockington were both off to participate in potential NBA team workouts and Summer League Opportunities, meaning the Bandits needed to fill a couple of holes going into the game. 

James Karnik returned to the lineup after being removed from the Suspended List, while Corey Davis Jr signed with the team earlier in the week and made his debut with the team on Saturday night.

The game itself got off to a sluggish start for the home team, while the visitors were just getting warmed up. Montreal’s Tavian Dunn-Martin showed up in a big way, helping his team take off with a layup, three-pointer and field goal all in the first few minutes of the game. In addition to that, Anthony Walker, Quincy Guerrier and Abdul Mohammed all made successful three-point baskets.

There were a couple of awkward moments on both sides. Kyle Mangas lost control of the ball while trying to sprint from the Bandits defensive zone. On the Montreal side, Dunn-Martin tried to throw the ball as if he was going to bounce it towards a teammate, only for it to bounce off of a Bandit player's foot and roll away.

In a sequence similar to the Bandits last game, Montreal’s Michael Diggins Jr went unchecked and used a free lane to walk right up and go in for the dunk. 

At this point in the game, things started to get a bit chippy. Montreal continued to show a dominant and aggressive swagger.

Kevin Osawe was in the corner of the court near the Bandits bench, when he walked over and made a swiping motion near Bandits Captain Mitch Creek’s head while he was sitting on the side.

Coach and GM Kyle Julius felt that belligerence was what started to ignite his team’s energy.

“Once they started talking trash the whole game, I think it ignited us a bit. We had to listen to them run their mouths the whole game.”

The chippiness didn’t stop there, with 10 seconds left on the clock in the first quarter, a Montreal player knocked the ball out of Corey Davis Jr’s hands. McIntosh then shoved that same Montreal player from behind, leading to a prompt whistle from the officials.

By the end of the first quarter, Vancouver was down 32-15 and did not have a scoring run bigger than 3. 

Early on in the second quarter the crowd started to get involved, but it wasn’t the result of a Bandits basket. Shamar Givance received a foul for what officials deemed to be holding and the fans did not hold back, piping up with a deafening chorus of boos.

The burst of energy from the fans seemed to get the home team to click, as they started to see more success from their field goals and free throws.

Shamar swiped the ball from Dunn-Martin and passed it to Creek, who sprinted all the way back for the layup.

The second quarter wasn’t without its hiccups though. While trying to block Abdul Muhammad, Curtis Hollis slowly and awkwardly fell on top of him, leading to a whistle and Mohammed being awarded 2 free throws.

With 34.6 seconds left to go in the second quarter, both teams decided that a refresh was necessary to close out the first half and each took a time out.

By the time the first half ended, the home team was only down 7 points instead of 17.

The Bandits really started to show more energy going into quarter 3, showing a more disciplined and defensive brand of basketball they’ve displayed so far this season. 

When asked what contributed to the turn-around, Hollis credited his team with amping up their defensive game.

“We started really, really pressing up on defense, starting to trap guys. They were kind of keeping themselves in the game with free throws, so we had to stop [fouling] and just rebound.”

It was a three-point basket from newcomer Corey Davis Jr that really signified the shift in energy, both for the Bandits and the fans who roared when the ball went in the hoop. The Bandits were now 2 points off of the lead.

At this point, the fans had become so invested that every time the Bandits scored, they screamed. Whether it was Hollis succeeding on all of his free throws, or Givance stealing the ball for a layup, the crowd let their team know how thrilled they were by this comeback.

The Bandits then tied the game after Givance passed the ball from one end of the court to Hollis, who made a beautiful three-point basket.

The home team finally took the lead for the first time in the game not long after a play by Karnik and Hollis that led to a field goal by Creek.

Karnik was then almost swiped across the head by Dontay Bassett while going in for a field goal, but he still managed to make the shot, and was awarded a free throw as well. 

As the fourth quarter went on, Montreal started to falter. Quincy Guerrier was awarded 2 free throws, neither of which he succeeded on. Half of the crowd leapt to their feet in excitement after his second failed shot.

At one point while in the Bandits defensive zone, Karnik saw that Givance was left open and threw the ball back down the court. Givance took off dribbling the ball as soon as he caught up and made an effortless layup with no one around to guard him.

As the Target Score time began, the Bandits now held the lead with 2 points, thanks to a layup and free throw from Creek.

Montreal tried to keep the game close with a dunk from Guerrier and a few free throws, though they didn't succeed in getting much more than that.

With the Bandits only 1 point away from ending the game, Hollis made a stellar three-point shot that sealed the deal for a home team win. 

Virtually the entire building leapt up and roared once again as the ball sank through the net, a far cry from the atmosphere in the first quarter of the night.

Hollis appreciated the fans' continued support and showed some love in return post game.

“The crowd’s amazing. They get really, really loud…They love the Bandits and we love them as well. So the crowd’s doing phenomenal and hopefully they can keep doing that the rest of the year.”

The come-from-behind win was only the second time the Bandits have really faced some adversity this season, but it served as a test of the team’s grit that Coach Julius was pleased about.

“Just talking to the [other] coaches about it, it gives you a lot of confidence, right? It tells you a lot about your team. We were down 20 to start the game, and we did not flinch.”

The win capped off a night of celebrating Women In Sports, which Hollis was happy to hear.

“Women are very powerful. They’re very talented as well. As you can see, the WNBA is growing everyday. It’s huge. As many women that want to be involved in basketball and involved in the sport, I’m always for the women being involved…I’m happy that today was Women in Sports Day, and hopefully more women keep getting inspired and keep trying to [be] involved as much as possible.”

Growing the game for women is something that’s truly important to Coach Julius as well and has had a big impact on his career.

“My father was a women’s coach, almost 30 years in youth sports. I grew up playing with girls and learning the game. I’ve always had huge respect for the women’s game. It took care of my family and it got me into basketball. To be a part of that and have women here that have contributed to the game. I’ve visited 75 schools this year. Many of those teams were girls teams and I really enjoyed it…It’s another great community asset or a piece of our work in the community that I’m proud of.”

The Bandits look to continue the momentum from Women in Sports Night into their next game on Friday, June 20, 2025 when they host the Winnipeg Sea Bears for their South Asian Celebration Game.