Bermuda suffered their first defeat at the HaiCo World Indigenous Basketball Challenge in British Columbia last night.

The national men’s basketball team went down 87-65 against a well-drilled South Sudan national team in their second game of the tournament at the Simon Fraser University.

Bermuda were unable to build upon their upset victory over defending champions and hosts Team Vancouver in their opening game the previous night, and had no answer to the heavy bombardment their opponents inflicted from beyond the three-point arc.

South Sudan drained 13 three-pointers and were equally as lethal from the free throw line.

In contrast, Bermuda struggled on the offensive end of the court, making fewer three-pointers and trips to the free-throw line which ultimately took their toll.

“We suffered a tough loss to a deep, athletic and experienced team from South Sudan,” Roderick Spencer, the Bermuda head coach, said.

“We played better on defence than Wednesday but offensively we were just a little off. South Sudan made 13 three-point shots to our five, and they shot 17 of 19 free-throws to our six for eight.”

Chris Crumpler scored 25 points to lead Bermuda’s scoring for the second straight game, while fellow forward Dean Jones chipped in with ten and guard Tejour Riley, one of the youngest members on the squad, eight.

Bermuda made a perfect start to the tournament with a hard-fought 101-88 victory over a formidable Team Vancouver squad boasting former professional players and division I and II college players.

Crumpler led the charge with 35 points, which included seven three-pointers from beyond the arc, while professional Sullivan Phillips chipped in with 18, Jason Lowe 15 and Riley ten to hold up their end of the bargain.

The HaiCo World Indigenous Basketball Challenge concludes today with the final, play-offs to determine third through fifth and Aboriginal High School All-Star Game.

The event, featuring renowned indigenous basketball teams from around the world, is regarded as a unique and culturally significant basketball tournament.