By Dexter LeRuez
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s basketball team left the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) victorious after a dominating 97-48 win over the University of Waterloo Warriors on Friday night.
The victory over Waterloo was the Bold’s first of the season and couldn’t have come at a more critical time, after the team lost both games of a home-and-home series against the University of Toronto (U of T) Varsity Blues.
Things were looking up before the game even started, as second-year Aaron Rhooms received his U Sports Rookie of the Year award in front of the TMU faithful.
“It meant a lot,” Rhooms said. “To have the TMU community around us, it’s really important. I find that the crowd being here, I value them a lot and just being there to support us.”
When the game finally kicked off it looked to be a close affair. Waterloo guard Kanayo Nnadi made a layup to tie the game at 5-5 with 7:37 to go in the first quarter.
However, the Warriors wouldn’t tie or lead the game again. After Nnadi’s layup the Bold went on a 23-7 run to put the Bold up 28-12 after one quarter.
For the Bold it was a matter of putting their faith beyond the arc. Their faith paid off as 67 per cent of their three-point shots found their way into the basket.
“I think if we’ve got a good three-point shooting team then we gotta get up good three point shots.” Said TMU head coach David DeAveiro. “At U of T we shot [three point shots] at a high percentage but we only took 16. We’ve got to get 25 to 30 attempts from three.”
By the end of the night, TMU put up 30 three-point attempts and making 17 of them.
The second quarter brought much of the same for the Bold who continued to shoot threes with efficiency. Leading the charge for the Bold was third-year guard Ankit Choudhary. Through the first half, Choudhary racked up 22 points and four steals in the first half.
After three quarters the Bold were up 84-32. With little doubt that TMU would leave with a victory, DeAveiro began to rest his players in the fourth quarter leaving little room for Choudhary to improve his statline.
Despite playing less than one minute of the fourth quarter, it was a big night for the Toronto native. Choudhary finished with 27 points, five steals, four assists and three rebounds.
But for Choudhary this wasn’t a career night.
“I wouldn’t say that. But I’m definitely proud of the way me and my teammates played, I’ll probably remember that most,” he said. “I know the work that I put in, and I know the work my team puts in. So I expect big nights for all of us everytime we step on the floor.”
The Bold will look to have another big night next Friday when they take on the McMaster Marauders.
“Today was a good step in moving forward,” Said DeAveiro “We’re getting ready to play a tough game at Mac on Friday night, but we saw a lot of positive things.”
UP NEXT: The Bold will head to Hamilton on Nov. 18 to take on the McMaster Marauders. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.
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