Tilmon’s Double-Double Powers Sea Bears Past Mamba 108-96 in Home Opener

WINNIPEG — Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. delivered a statement performance in his Canada Life Centre debut, posting 24 points and 11 rebounds as the Winnipeg Sea Bears cruised past the Saskatoon Mamba 108-96 in front of 7,920 fans on Saturday night.

It was the first time Winnipeg has eclipsed the century mark since July 2024, and with a 2-0 record to start the 2026 CEBL season, the early returns under first-year head coach Mike Raimbault have been nothing short of encouraging.

The Sea Bears controlled this one from the opening tip. A 29-25 first quarter set the tone, and Winnipeg stretched the advantage to nine at the half, carrying a 57-48 lead into the break. The third quarter was where things really pulled apart. The Sea Bears outscored Saskatoon 28-22 in the frame, pushing the lead to 15 heading into the fourth. The Mamba made a push in the final quarter, outscoring Winnipeg 26-23, but it was far too late.

Tilmon was the driving force. After putting up 14 points and eight rebounds in the season-opening road win at Edmonton, the big man took it up a notch, dominating on both ends of the floor with a double-double in just under 30 minutes of action. He altered shots at the rim, cleaned up on the glass and was a constant presence in the paint.



“Coach wants me to be more aggressive. He keeps drilling it into my brain that I’ve got the freedom to go hoop. Just having the confidence and letting the game come to me, not forcing anything, doing nothing out of character.” — Jeremiah Tilmon Jr.

Raimbault has seen what Tilmon can bring since the first day of training camp.

“He’s been tremendous right from the start. He came in, needed a couple days to get his legs under him, but we do believe he’s able to help us on the offensive end. If he gets some touches down there, we want him to be aggressive and put pressure on the defence. And what he does on the defensive end, cleaning up mistakes from the backside, he had a couple of tremendous block shots today. He just makes things difficult around the rim. He’s been a really great anchor for us on both ends of the floor.”

Teddy Allen added 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals, and even that qualified as a quiet night for the former CEBL MVP. Allen connected on just eight of his 24 field goal attempts but went a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line and found ways to impact the game well beyond the box score.

“It felt good. I knew it was going to be fun. It lived up to the hype and I’m just glad we got the win for the home crowd,” Allen said.

It was Allen who pushed for the club to bring Tilmon aboard in the first place. “I remember in the summer when coaches asked me what big man we should look at, I was like, look at Tilmon. I know he’s really good. He’s our anchor on defence, and he also had it going on offence tonight too.”

Raimbault wasn’t surprised by Allen’s all-around contributions, even on an off shooting night.

“I know he gets a lot of notoriety for his ability to score the ball, but we really believe in his game at both ends of the floor and his ability to impact winning in a lot of ways,” Raimbault said. “It was probably an off night for him offensively, but he contributed to a lot of positive possessions at both ends for us.”

The depth of the roster was on full display. David Walker was excellent off the bench, chipping in 12 points, five rebounds and four assists in nearly 27 minutes. Raimbault noted that eight players logged double-digit minutes, and the bench provided a jolt of energy that kept Saskatoon from ever making a serious run.

“We feel like we do have depth of talent and different lineups that we can deploy,” Raimbault said. “Guys can come in and impact the game. One through ten, one through twelve, whatever the case may be.”

Trey McGowens, the former G League guard signed ahead of the home opener, added nine points and four assists in his Sea Bears debut at Canada Life Centre, drawing five fouls and getting to the free throw line with regularity. Emmanuel Akot contributed six points, two rebounds and an assist in 28 minutes.

As a team, Winnipeg finished with 20 assists on just nine turnovers, a significant improvement from the season opener in Edmonton.

“We did a pretty good job of cleaning up some of our offensive decision-making,” Raimbault said. “The guys took the challenge to correct some of those things and bring it to fruition tonight.”

Saskatoon captain Tavian Dunn-Martin was brilliant in stretches, pouring in a game-high 30 points on 12-of-20 shooting, including a sizzling 6-of-11 from beyond the arc. The Mamba never found the defensive stops they needed to climb back into the game.

“Dunn-Martin had a heck of a night,” Raimbault acknowledged. “He’s shown in this league that he’s a tough cover. He did a great job of capitalizing on our mistakes. You’ve got to give him a lot of credit. He’s a heck of a player.”

Jamir Chaplin added 15 off the Saskatoon bench, while Jamal Fuller chipped in 13 on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting night. Jaylin Williams added 12 points and three blocks in the loss.

For the Sea Bears, the 2-0 start, built on a road comeback win and a dominant home opener, has the group feeling the early stages of something real.

“We had a small training camp and we were trying to cram everything into so many days,” Tilmon said. “We got our first win on the road, came home and got a win. It’s given us confidence to know we can play and fight through adversity.”

When asked about the identity he wants this team to build, Raimbault didn’t hesitate.

“We want to play with some grit and we want to have a defensive toughness about us. Prairie Dirt. We want to play unselfishly, play with heart, and be the team that doesn’t quit no matter what the circumstances.”

Two games in, the dirt is settling nicely.

Up next: The Sea Bears are right back at it on the road on May 19 against the Scarborough Shooting Stars.

Winnipeg Leaders: Jeremiah Tilmon Jr. 24 pts, 11 reb; Teddy Allen 22 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast; David Walker 12 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast; Trey McGowens 9 pts, 4 ast

Saskatoon Leaders: Tavian Dunn-Martin 30 pts, 6-11 3PT, 8 ast; Jamir Chaplin 15 pts; Jamal Fuller 13 pts (4-4 FG); Jaylin Williams 12 pts, 3 blk

Attendance: 7,920  |  Venue: Canada Life Centre, Winnipeg