By Keiran Gorsky
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s basketball team continued on their offensive tear on Wednesday night, dispatching the Guelph University Gryphons 80-50 in a one-sided matchup at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).
Four days after the 115-52 win over the Algoma Thunderbirds—a score that nearly broke a team record—the offensive touch seemed to spread across the entire Bold roster, with eleven of twelve players finding the net.
“I didn’t know what the points record was,” said head coach David DeAveiro with a laugh after the game. “It had no factor… it’s a team effort, we want our guys to really be rewarded for how hard they’re working.”
The game opened on a string of missed shots from both sides, though it didn’t stay quiet for long. Third-year guard Javier Gilgeous-Glasgow jumped on a flubbed pass off a Gryphons’ inbound before gliding into the paint for a layup to kick off the fireworks.
The play seemed to open the floodgates to a high-flying quarter for the Bold, headlined by energetic offence from second-year guard Michael Kayembe and Gilgeous-Glasgow. Fourth-year forward Elijah Roye took his chance first, though, busting through the Gryphons’ defence and shaking the net with the first dunk of the contest.
Third-year Gryphons forward Raef Wykes responded with a glass-rattling dunk of his own but the home team proved too much to handle. Consecutive field goals from Kayembe quieted the visiting Guelph contingent, sealing a 23-9 TMU lead at the end of the quarter.
The visitors came out with newfound energy in the second quarter as the two teams traded defensive highlights. Wykes retrieved the ball off of a fast break but fourth-year guard Aaron Rhooms caught up to him, turning a simple layup into a contested shot. Third-year Guelph forward Eric Armstrong responded in turn, stuffing Rhooms’ attempted layup at the rim.
Armstrong went on to provide a much-needed offensive spark for the Gryphons, spinning through the Bold defence to lay it in halfway through the frame. His three points—off another layup and a foul throw—were his team’s last of the quarter.
After one half, the story was a stark disparity in field goal percentage. The Gryphons shot a dismal 1-for-9 behind the three-point line as the Bold shot 5-for-13 and extended their lead to 42-25.
“We preach defence every day in practice,” said Gilgeous-Glasgow after the game, “For two hours straight, we focus on our defence. Defence wins games and that’s what did it for us tonight.”
Guelph’s fortunes didn’t improve much in the third. Rhooms, in the midst of a relatively quiet night, missed both his free throws early in the quarter, as did second-year Gryphons forward Emmanuel Black. The Gryphons tried to force their way through, culminating in a missed dunk from third-year Guelph guard Jack Tunstill that saw him land hard on the court and get immediately subbed off.
The visitors had ample opportunity to capitalize on free throws drawn from physical Bold play in the paint but the ball continued to evade whichever basket they hurled it toward. The deficit stretched to 32 after three quarters, TMU leading 67-35.
The home team rotated through their lineup in the final frame, giving everyone a chance to put their mark on the lopsided affair. In his Bold debut, first-year forward Emmanuel Owonibi made his presence felt on both sides of the court, providing the Bold’s highlight of the quarter with a strong dunk.
The Gryphons clawed some points back towards the end, though not nearly enough. In the end, it was a team effort that boosted the Bold to 80 points, Gilgeous-Glasgow netting the most on the night with just 12.
“I love my team,” DeAveiro said after the game. “They’re young and they’re gonna make a lot of mistakes but I love them because they just work really really hard.”
UP NEXT: TMU gets a week off before they face the Western Mustangs at the MAC on Wednesday, Nov. 13. Tip-off is set at 8 p.m.
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