By Raphael Chahinian
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s basketball team lost to the Brock University Badgers in a back-and-forth thriller at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Saturday night.
Going into the game, Bold head coach Carly Clarke was ready for another senior night to cap a solid regular season and send the graduating players into the playoffs with one last match at the MAC.
“All the seniors have done a great job at being leaders through their voices, work ethic and contributing to the school community,” said Clarke.
The Bold came out of the gates ready for a battle with strong full-court pressure leading to plenty of deflections and steals. The Badgers stretched the tight TMU defence and kept battling their way through, shooting the lights out with 16 of their 18 first-quarter points coming from mid-range and beyond.
After another steal coming from TMU’s full-court press, the Bold closed out the quarter with a transition layup made by fourth-year forward Rachel Farwell, ending the frame at 18-13 in favour of the Badgers.
Going into the second quarter down five, the Bold turned their play up a notch, stealing the ball away twice during Brock’s first two possessions and capitalizing on great outside shooting. The Bold kept consistent pressure and took their first lead of the game 32-31 after a series of free throws by fifth-year forward Eleanor Jones.
Jones said the Bold kept using spurts of “good energy” to propel them. TMU continued to play well and ended the first half with a final score of 36-35.
The Bold were in control of the tempo on both ends of the floor to start the second half, slowing Brock’s offence to a halt and pushing the speed of their offence as much as possible. Leading the way for the Bold during the shift in tempo was third-year guard Kaillie Hall.
“We talked about pushing it before the game, hitting shooters in the corners and running in transition,” said Hall.
With the energy of senior night filling up the MAC, TMU continued to play hard, forcing multiple eight-second violations and ending the frame with a final score of 50-46 in their favour.
Clarke spoke after the game about the tremendous impact that the senior athletes have had on their younger teammates.
“We talk in our program about leaving a legacy and they’ve all done it, all the younger players look up to them.”
The fourth quarter started off strong on both ends, with each team scoring on their first possession. The Bold took their largest lead of the game early in the fourth at 55-48, but the Badgers continued to claw away at the lead.
In typical Brock fashion, they chipped away at the lead with jumpers and free throws, eventually taking a 57-56 advantage with just over two minutes left.
The game continued to go back and forth until Brock made a wing three to give them a five-point lead with only one minute remaining. Kaillie Hall was able to put in two more last-second baskets, but the game ended with a final score of 62-67 in favour of Brock University.
With the regular season all wrapped up, the Bold are now preparing for the playoffs and their first matchup against Western University Feb. 22.
“We’re getting ready to get better, take it one game at a time and focus up to be ready on Wednesday,” said Clarke.
UP NEXT: The TMU Bold take on the Western Mustangs on Wednesday at the MAC. Tip-off time is still to be determined.
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