Stingers rebound from slow start, cruise past Alliance for 4th consecutive win
Aher Uguak, Adika Peter-McNeilly combine for 35 points off bench in victory
It wasn't the start they wanted but the Edmonton Stingers have shown once again that they are more than capable of a strong bounce-back.
On Wednesday, they did just that defeating the Montreal Alliance 85-72 in Edmonton for their fourth consecutive win.
Stingers starter Jordan Baker recorded another near-triple-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, and forward Brody Clarke added another 11 points.
But it was the bench on this night that provided the spark as Adika Peter-McNeilly led all scorers with 18, while Edmonton native Aher Uguak contributed another 17 points.
"We're just building momentum. Most teams start two weeks early — we started a week late. It took a while for us to get our chemistry together," Uguak said post-game.
WATCH | Stingers best Alliance en route to 4th win in a row:
Following a Clarke three to open the scoring, Montreal (3-3) jumped out with a 10-0 run and did not look back in the opening quarter. A four-point deficit proved to be as close as the Stingers (4-1) could get, as the Alliance closed out the frame on a 9-0 run to hold a 26-13 lead.
In the second, Edmonton turned the tables, proving just why they are the defending champions.
Down 35-21 at the 6:17 mark, the Stingers held Montreal scoreless the rest of the way as they went on an 18-0 run to take a 39-35 lead going into the half.
Edmonton continued to build on its lead, opening the third quarter with an 8-2 run in just under three minutes time. Going up by as much as 12, the Stingers maintained their momentum throughout the frame heading into the fourth with a 63-55 lead.
Needing 24 points to win, and having fallen to an 80-63 deficit, the Alliance scrapped together a 9-2 run to pull within 10.
By then, it was too little, too late, as Peter-McNeilly buried a three-pointer from the left wing to seal the victory.
Montreal was led by Isiah Osborne's 15 points and Kemy Osse adding 13 more off the bench.
Edmonton will next play the Scarborough Shooting Stars on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET. The Alliance are set to face the Guelph Nighthawks on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET. Both games will be streamed live on CBCSports.ca, the CBC Sports app and CBC Gem.
