By Bana Yirgalem
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s basketball team faced the University of British Columbia (UBC) on Sunday at the Mattamy Athletic Center (MAC) in their final game of the Darcel Wright Memorial Classic.
UBC used a 22-9 fourth quarter to come back to win the game 69-66. TMU led by as many as 19 points in the second quarter, but their opponents stormed back in the second half.
“We lost some composure and you know, a lot of that comes with experience,” said head coach Carly Clarke.
As the game tipped off, the momentum from both teams was slow. They struggled offensively and found their groove in the middle of the quarter. TMU’s Jayme Foreman was the leading force for the Bold on the scoreboard.
She was 4-6 from behind the arc and scored 14 out of the team’s 20 points in the opening 10 minutes.
“She’s a dynamic player who has really improved offensively and obviously is a huge part of our offense,” said Clarke on Foremen’s performance.
First-year guard Kait Nichols continued to be a defensive force in the tournament as she led the Bold in rebounds and steals in the first quarter with three apiece.
As the second quarter kicked off, both teams came with full aggression. UBC locked the Bold down defensively as they drew fouls and went 12-13 at the free throw line while the Bold didn’t make a trip to the line once.
UBC led the quarter by 19 points to cut the score and fall 11 points behind the Bold. However, they weren’t able to take the lead, with the last time they were ahead in the score coming at the 9:56 mark in the first quarter.
In the second half, the Bold was determined to keep its lead. They opened the quarter on a seven-point run before the first timeout was called.
When both teams went back on the court, the Bold slowed down, as UBC shut them down. UBC scored 10 points off of turnovers even though they had eight turnovers of their own in the quarter.
The Bold wasn’t able to see the free throw line for another quarter as they committed 3 fouls.
“As a first-year there’s so much more to learn and having the fifth years kind of take me under their wing and just guide me,” said Nichols. “We’ve learned a lot for the first game…we’re just really excited for the season as well.”
UBC tried to make a statement by setting the pace of the game and starting off strong, going on a 7-0 run to begin the final frame. They cut down the lead and only trailed by three points at the 8:11 mark, the closest they’d been since the beginning of the game. Both teams fought to keep the lead going or to tie the game.
UBC tied the game 59-59 with 5:51 left in the fourth quarter. They continued their push and finally took the lead at the 4:28 mark, making the game 61-59. This was the first lead for UBC since the first four seconds of the game.
The Bold wasn’t giving up, as fourth-year Rachel Farwell scored a three-pointer with 12 seconds left in the game, cutting the score by three and making it 68-66. The Bold failed to tie or take the lead resulting in them losing 69-66
“[There were] glimpses of really solid play,” said Clarke. “It’s just continuing the work to put it all together and hopefully get some people healthy to get more people in the lineup.”
UP NEXT: The Bold will open their regular season at home on Nov. 5. Prior to tip-off, the team will put a bow on their national championship season as they raise their championship banner. The game is set to start at 6 p.m.
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