By Keiran Gorsky
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s basketball team held off the York Lions in a 94-90 nailbiter at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Wednesday night.
The Bold gave the home crowd a show on Senior Night as it was potentially the last time the MAC will see Lincoln Rosebush, David Walker, Simon Chamberlain, Adrian Stevens, Julian Walker and Cameron Ramage in blue and gold. Each player honoured pre-game has only been a member of the squad for two seasons.
“You appreciate the things these guys did for two years,” said Bold head coach Dave DeAveiro after the game. “And you wish you had them for three more.”
A third-quarter surge led by an efficient five-minute performance from third-year Bold forward Elijah Roye—who had seven points, two rebounds, an assist and a block in the third—propelled the home side to victory. TMU outscored York 34-12 in the quarter and later held off a comeback from the visitors.
With the divisional race heating up in the Ontario University Athletics Central division, both sides came into Wednesday’s game tied in the standings with an 11-9 record.
However, the win launches the Bold into second place and drops the Lions to the fourth seed, as only two wins separate the top five teams. Only one or two games remain on the respective schedules for each team within their division.
“We put ourselves in situations where we make it rather exciting”
The first quarter played out like a chess match with both teams draining the shot clocks to make a play. Rosebush got the crowd simmering with the swish of a three-pointer, marking his 10th of the season.
Ramage followed that effort up with some swift work in the paint, spinning off the Lions’ defence to lay it up and in. Still, it proved difficult to match what York’s fourth-year guard Josh Noton had in store.
The Lions found Noton just inside the three-point line, knocking down a difficult jump shot through a maze of arms to bring the visitors within one point. He would continue to punish TMU’s defence as the night crawled on and the Lions took a slim three-point lead into the second quarter.
The second quarter didn’t start nearly as well for York. Fifth-year guard Evan Shadkami, second-year guard Jahlijah Grant and Noton inadvertently jumpstarted TMU fastbreaks off missed jumpers.
Yet, Noton and Shadkami proved too crafty for TMU. Through a forest of pick-and-rolls, York’s dynamic duo kept finding ways to get open. Four threes with the quarter winding down stamped a 49-44 lead onto the scoreboard for the visitors at the half.
“What we struggle with is…we don’t focus for 40 [minutes],” DeAveiro said. “We put ourselves in situations where we make it rather exciting.”
“You wish you had them for three more”
The Bold put a stamp on the third quarter in one of their most dominant frames of the season. Rosebush sprung up early with yet another uncontested three, causing the Lions to repeatedly look foolish for leaving him open behind the arc.
Roye, repeatedly surrounded by Lion red in the paint, seemed to place the ball above all of their heads with minimal effort. York was limited to just 14 shots in the quarter, shooting a dismal 29 per cent to the Bold’s 77 per cent. TMU entered their final home quarter of the season with an 80-61 lead.
“We gotta sustain that not just for one quarter, but save it for the whole game,” Rosebush said.
However, the Bold didn’t have the luxury of jogging to the finish line. The tide turned in the final quarter, as eight TMU turnovers came from York’s persistent full-court press and allowing the visitors to mount a comeback.
The Lions came within two points with a minute remaining in the game. However, a block from Roye with 17 seconds left stopped the bleeding. Ramage’s two free throws hit their mark with eight seconds left, narrowly sealing the deal.
“Our coach tells us to keep our foot on their neck,” said Roye. “Going forward, [it’s about] keeping that same energy.”
UP NEXT: The Bold will play their final game of the regular season this Saturday night at York’s Tait McKenzie Centre. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.
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