Nighthawks surge late to get back on track with win over River Lions
CBC Sports | Posted: July 28, 2020 11:31 PM | Last Updated: July 29, 2020
Bandits stage big comeback to defeat defending champion Rattlers
The Guelph Nighthawks rebounded quickly from their first CEBL Summer Series loss with a win over the Niagara River Lions on Tuesday.
Twenty-four hours after the Nighthawks (2-1) were blown out by the Hamilton Honey Badgers, they got off to a quick start with a 15-10 first quarter and downed the host River Lions 84-65 in St. Catharines, Ont.
After Niagara (1-2) fought back in the second quarter, Guelph took control of the game in the second half, where it outscored the River Lions by 18.
Tre'Darius McCallum led the Nighthawks with 18 points, while Canadians Tyrell Green and Jamal Reynolds each contributed 11 points off the bench.
The River Lions' Daniel Mullings, an MVP contender following his strong start to the Summer Series, was limited to 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting while coughing up four turnovers.
Tyrone Watson led the River Lions, and all scorers, with 20 points in the loss.
WATCH | Nighthawks take care of River Lions:
Bandits rally to top Rattlers
Meanwhile, the Fraser Valley Bandits rallied at halftime to hand the reigning champion Saskatchewan Rattlers their first loss of 2020.
Down 49-38 at halftime, the Bandits outscored the Rattlers by 21 in the second half to improve to 2-0 in the Summer Series. The loss moves the Rattlers to 1-1.
Forward Cameron Forte led the Bandits' charge with 30 points, 10 rebounds and six steals. Former Syracuse guard Junior Cadougan added 14 points, and team captain Marcus Capers nearly recorded a double-double with eight points and 10 boards.
Capers also scored the last three points of the game, all on free throws after being fouled, to reach 87 points.
Kevin Bracy-Davis led the Rattlers with 19 points.
Live coverage of the CEBL Summer Series continues Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET with the Hamilton Honey Badgers (1-1) vs. the Edmonton Stingers (1-1).
CBC Sports has live coverage of the entire tournament, through to the final on Aug. 9.
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