Battle of Top-Scoring Teams as Sea Bears take on Niagara River Lions

The league-leading Winnipeg Sea Bears (-133) finish up a three-game homestand on Thursday when they host the Niagara River Lions (-103) at 7 p.m. CT at Canada Life Centre.

This will be the first head-to-head battle between the expansion Sea Bears and an original six CEBL franchise in the River Lions. Although there’s no history between them, this is sure to be a dynamic matchup as it will pit the league’s two highest-scoring offences against each other.

Niagara currently leads the CEBL averaging 91.7 points per game, with Winnipeg right behind at 89.9 points per contest. Two high-powered offences facing off in a cross-conference clash for the first time is sure to result in a bucket-filled treat for fans of both sides.

The Sea Bears enter the contest as leaders in the Western Conference with a league-best 7-3 record and are currently on a two-game win streak. Their most recent victory came in an 86-78 contest against the Saskatchewan Rattlers where they were able to come out on top despite being outshot from both the field and distance.

A major catalyst for Winnipeg’s third win in five games was their work around the glass. The team finished the game with 11 more rebounds than the Rattlers and a +10 advantage on offensive boards. Their efforts securing the ball resulted in 10 extra shot attempts, four of which were converted. Unsurprisingly, most of their rebounds led to opportunities inside the paint, where the team capitalized as they were a +16 on the night.

The Sea Bears’ impressive night securing the ball off the rim came down to a team effort, as three players on the squad recorded a double-double. E.J. Anosike, Chad Posthumus, and most notably, Teddy Allen, who put up a team-high 22 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.

The guard is commonly known for his scoring prowess, and rightfully so, considering he’s second in the league’s scoring race at 26.4 points per game. However, his ability to rebound the ball has been equally – albeit quietly – impressive as Allen is top-five in the CEBL, averaging nine rebounds a game.

Keep an eye on the glass battle in this matchup as Winnipeg is a top-two offensive rebounding team (13.7 ORPG) going up against a defensive rebounding team in Niagara that ranks second-last (27 DRPG).

The River Lions enter this contest on the heels of a 101-87 loss to the Ottawa BlackJacks that snapped a three-game win streak and sees them sitting at a 5-5 record midway through the season. Tonight’s matchup will also be the start of a three-game road trip for Niagara.

The team currently holds a 1-3 record on the road this season and are also winless against west coast teams in that span when playing them at their home Meridian Centre.

In their defeat of Ottawa, Niagara was outshot from the field, distance and charity stripe. They went 9-30 from beyond the arc and did themselves no favours by missing a season-high 13 free-throws. It also didn’t help that the BlackJacks hit 14 triples along the way. The result of their struggles was their lowest scoring output in four games, failing to score over 90 points for the first time since June 10.

Despite the loss, there were positives for the River Lions. The team showed discipline handling the ball, only turning the ball over 10 times, their lowest in their last four games and below their season average of 13.5 a game. Niagara would ideally like to continue that trend and minimize their errors in tonight’s contest as they’ll be taking on a Winnipeg team that currently averages the least giveaways in the league at just 10.9 per game.

The team also continues to be one of the better teams when it comes to distributing the ball as they lead the CEBL, averaging 20 assists. A major contributor to that success has been the unselfish play of 2022 regular season MVP Khalil Ahmad and his seven assists per game. After a quiet 11-point, four-assist performance against Ottawa, look for the lead guard to try to bounce back.

A Sea Bears win could see their lead in the West grow even larger, going up two games ahead of the second-seeded Calgary Surge. A win for the River Lions could vault them back into a three-way tie for top spot in the Eastern Conference with the BlackJacks and the Scarborough Shooting Stars.

For tickets, visit seabears.ca/tickets. The game will also be available for streaming live on TSN+, CEBL+ powered by BetVictor, and on the CEBL Mobile app available on iOS and Android devices.

About the CEBL

A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 71 percent of its 2022 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Nine players have moved from the CEBL into the NBA following a CEBL season, and 28 CEBL players attended NBA G League training camps during October. The CEBL season runs from May through August. Head to CEBL.ca for more information or follow @CEBLeague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.

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