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A return to Canadian Elite Basketball League playoffs was short-lived for the Saskatoon Mamba on Thursday night, as their 2026 season came to an end in Winnipeg.
The Mamba could not break through in their first CEBL playoff game in four years, as they suffered a 99-88 loss to the Winnipeg Sea Bears in Western Conference semi-finals.
Turnovers plagued the Mamba from the opening tip-off, as the Sea Bears were able to spread out their offence despite no Teddy Allen in the lineup with four different players scoring at least 14 points on the night.
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That included Jelani Watson-Gayle, who exploded in the fourth quarter and target score time to finish his night 9-of-14 from the field with a team-high 27 points for Winnipeg.
It’s the final chapter on a resurgent season for the Mamba organization, setting a new franchise wins record with 13 regular season victories to clinch their first playoff berth since 2022.
Saskatoon and Winnipeg battled over the opening five minutes of the game with a Jamir Chaplin three-point shot closing the Sea Bears lead to 19-16, but Winnipeg took over shortly after and would not relinquish their lead the rest of the night.
Watson-Gayle scored seven of Winnipeg’s next 11 points, as the Sea Bears took a 32-21 lead into the second quarter.
Just before halftime, the Mamba gave up six crucial points by Winnipeg with Xavier Moon and Isiah Osborne taking advantage of the clock to stake the Sea Bears to a 53-39 lead at the break.
Saskatoon punched back in the third quarter with captain Tavian Dunn-Martin finding his offensive game, as he got seven points to drop while Chaplin came through with a pull-up three-pointer to cut the deficit to 10.
In the fourth quarter however, the Mamba struggled with shot clock violations and turnovers which Winnipeg was able to capitalize on with Watson-Gayle completing a four-point play and a three-point jump shot to give the Sea Bears a big 90-74 lead heading into target score time.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME pic.twitter.com/LdYGBORlge
— Winnipeg Sea Bears (@wpgseabears) August 7, 2026
Dunn-Martin nearly put the Mamba on his back to lead a comeback attempt with 14 points by himself in the target score period, but Winnipeg sealed the win with a pair of free throws by Moon to give the Sea Bears their first playoff victory in franchise history.
Saskatoon turned the ball over 19 times on Thursday night, with Winnipeg outscoring the Mamba 28-0 on points off turnovers.
In a losing effort, Dunn-Martin led the Mamba with 28 points and five assists, while Jaden Bediako had a double-double with 13 points and 17 rebounds.
The Sea Bears will face either the Vancouver Bandits or Edmonton Stingers in the Western Conference Final, while the Eastern Conference Final will be played between the Brampton Honey Badgers and Niagara River Lions.
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