By Gavin Axelrod
They’re getting close, but the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s basketball team will have to wait a bit longer for their first win of the season.
The reigning U Sports national champions lost 68-65 to the University of Waterloo Warriors on Friday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC). TMU falls to 0-3 in the young season with the loss.
“I thought we showed some grit and resilience to not quit,” said head coach Carly Clarke. “But we can’t put ourselves in that position. We got to clean up the first half so that we don’t have to expend so much energy to fight back.”
Despite TMU starting the season winless, it wasn’t all negative for the Bold on Friday night.
First-year point guard Kait Nichols showed flashes of brilliance again, notching a near triple-double. Nichols scored 17 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out eight assists.
It’s the second-straight game Nichols has recorded a double-double. She put up 10 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in a loss against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Wednesday.
“I just find I have to step up, I am the point guard so I have to be a leader,” said “I have to try and help and control everything, but I’ve always had that pitbull mentality in me since I first since I first started playing basketball.”
There was also a familiar face on the opposing sideline for the visitors. Warriors head coach Jessica Roque is no stranger to the Bold program—she became the university’s first full-time women’s basketball assistant coach in 2016.
Clarke had nothing but high praise for her former lead-assistant coach following Friday’s contest.
“Their team is playing with her personality, which is a great compliment if you know Jess,” said Clarke. “Energetic, passionate, competitive. Her having been with us for four years, to see her take over a program and see them doing great, that’s really meaningful to know that she’s going on and being a great head coach herself.”
But on the court, it was all business from both sides, despite the relationship between the two head coaches.
The Bold battled all night long, even being down by as many as 16 points at one point in the third quarter. TMU whittled away at the lead as the game came to a close, making for an exciting fourth quarter.
Fourth-year forward Rachel Farwell gave the Bold a shot to win, putting in a layup with less than 15 seconds on the game clock in the final quarter. However, TMU was unable to tie and send the game to overtime, leaving the court with a 68-65 loss.
TMU’s attention now turns to the McMaster Marauders, who they’ll face next Friday. The Marauders are no slouch and are led by Sarah Gates, who leads the Ontario University Athletics conference with nearly 30 points per game.
“We’re getting better every day, every player on our team is in a new role this year,” said Clarke. “And that’s been even amplified more than expected with some of the injuries we have to our lineup right now. So there’s a lot of adapting on the fly and people are stepping up to the challenge and continuing to fight which is great.”
UP NEXT: TMU travels to Hamilton for a showdown with the McMaster Marauders. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
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