Sea Bears Host Edmonton Stingers in Western Conference Play-In Game

The Winnipeg Sea Bears (-160) will host the Western Conference play-in game against the Edmonton Stingers (+115) tonight at 8 p.m. CT at Canada Life Centre.

The matchup comes less than a week after the Stingers knocked off the Sea Bears 98-86 in Winnipeg to cap off the regular season for both teams.

Edmonton used a 26-8 run in the fourth quarter of that contest—in front of more than 8,200 fans, a CEBL record—to prevent Winnipeg from clinching the top spot in the Western Conference, forcing the Sea Bears into the play-in round.

“We’ve had issues closing games,” Edmonton head coach Jordan Baker said after the game. “But our defence in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter and target time was great.”

The win also marked Edmonton’s second win of the season at Canada Life Centre, as the Stingers also went on the road and defeated the Sea Bears by 29 points on June 12. Winnipeg, however, did earn a win in their three-game season series with Edmonton—dispatching the Stingers at the Expo Centre on July 8.

The Sea Bears finished the regular season as the second-best team in the CEBL on the glass, with a little over 42 rebounds per game, hauling in a league-best 14.1 offensive rebounds per game.

Winnipeg was also the only team other than the Niagara River Lions to average more than 90 points per game this season.

Offensively, it’s been Teddy Allen who has led the way, and made a strong case for CEBL MVP in the regular season. The star guard finished second in the league in scoring (27.2 points per game), led the CEBL in three-pointers (70), and ranked in the top 10 in steals (1.6).

Allen also nearly averaged eight rebounds per game, which led the Sea Bears in the regular season. He’s played a league-high 717 minutes this season, 43 minutes more than the next closest player.

On the other side, Edmonton has relied on a balanced attack on offence. No Stinger averaged more than 14 points in the regular season, however, Edmonton had four players who averaged more than 12 points per game: Brody Clarke, Nick Hornsby, Isiah Osborne and Aher Uguak.

The Stingers also used a stingy defence to sneak into the Western Conference’s final playoff spot. Edmonton gave up a hair over 83 points per game this season, the second-fewest in the CEBL.

Edmonton deployed a zone defence that Winnipeg head coach Mike Taylor said gave the Sea Bears fits last game.

If Winnipeg wants to avoid losing a third game on home court to Edmonton this year, they will need to rely on their strengths on the boards and have their role players stepped up.

Anosike and Allen combined for 57 of Winnipeg’s 87 points in their last meeting with Edmonton on July 29. But only one other Sea Bear (A.J. Hess) reached double-figures.

Jelani Watson-Gayle, who missed the July 29 game, has played a big role off the bench for Winnipeg. The Sixth Man of the Year candidate averaged over 12 points and two three-pointers a game this season. Hess scored a season-high 18 points on July 23, right before the regular season finale against the Stingers.

Edmonton, meanwhile, will look to keep Allen and his supporting cast in check, and hope that they get solid offensive contributions from multiple players.

The winner of tonight’s matchup will travel to Calgary on Sunday to take on the Surge for the right to play in Championship Weekend next week.

For tickets, visit seabears.ca.

Full broadcast schedule of CEBL Games of the Week on TSN can be found here. All games will also be streamed live internationally on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+, and on the CEBL Mobile app for 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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