By Todd Ash-Duah
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s basketball team defeated the Carleton Ravens 85-72 on Saturday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).
Each team came into this game looking for something to prove. The Bold were looking to bounce back from a double-digit loss to the seventh-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees on Nov. 30. Meanwhile, the Ravens were trying to build off their dominant 86-59 win over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday. In a game featuring two nationally ranked teams—the Bold are ranked fifth and the Ravens sixth—the Bold threw and landed more punches on the Ravens than they took to secure the victory.
“We hadn’t beaten a ranked team,” said head coach David DeAveiro. “It was important for us to go and compete against these guys tonight.”
The game began with both teams shooting lights-out from downtown, as the Ravens knocked down six of their 11 three-point attempts while the Bold went 4 of 5 from three-point range. Led by third-year guard Javier Gilgeous-Glascow’s eight points, TMU held a 26-25 lead over Carleton at the end of a high-scoring and fast-paced first quarter.
The second quarter began with fourth-year Bold guard Aaron Rhooms knocking down a three-pointer to extend TMU’s lead to four points. Rhooms, who came into the game averaging a team-high of 18.5 points per game, finished with 22 points and was one of four Bold players who scored in double figures.
Bold second-year guard Gabriel Gutsmore was one of those players, as he chipped in with 19 points.
“The main thing was energy,” said Gutsmore. “We know we have a deep team—we don’t have one primary scorer. That’s what makes us so hard to guard because anyone can pop off at any moment.”
With less than a minute remaining before halftime, the Bold continued to light up from distance, as first-year guard Maxime Louis-Jean knocked down a three-pointer that brought jubilation to the crowd at the MAC, giving TMU a five-point lead. Louis-Jean was on fire from downtown in the first half, shooting 4-7 from three-point range.
“[Louis-Jean] was someone who was on our radar [in the recruitment process] during the summer,” said DeAveiro. “He’s someone we recruited, not only because of his toughness but also because he can shoot the ball.”
The Bold focused on defence in the second quarter, holding the Ravens to 19 points while also forcing seven turnovers.
Going into the second half, TMU held a 47-44 lead over the visitors.
Both teams played hard-nosed, lockdown defence as both Carleton and TMU combined to score just five points through the first five minutes of the third quarter. Gilgeous-Glasgow would end the Bold’s scoring drought, knocking down a three-pointer from the wing to give TMU a 52-47 lead.
With just over three minutes left in the frame, Gilgeous-Glasgow continued to be a thorn in the Ravens’ side, hitting a pull-up three-pointer from the left wing to give the Bold a nine-point lead, which led to Carleton calling a quick timeout.
“Coach told us coming in after halftime that we had to impose our will,” said Gilgeous-Glasgow. “[Carleton is] a great-coached team, well-ran organization over there, so we had to make sure that we kept our foot on their necks.”
Out of the timeout, the Bold extended their lead. Anchored by their elite defence, TMU tightened the clamps on Carleton, holding the Ravens to just seven points and 2-18 (11.1 per cent) from the field.
“We have great coaches,” said Gilgeous-Glasgow. “They watch film, study the other team and we just come in every day and try to execute to the best of our abilities.”
The Bold ended the third quarter in style, with first-year guard Kevin Toth feeding second-year guard Gabriel Gutsmore on a slick pass for an easy layup to give TMU a 62-51 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
However, a very good Ravens team would not go away so easily. Carleton opened the fourth quarter on a quick 4-0 run. An uncontested layup by third-year guard Nelson Cilien led directly to a timeout called by the Bold.
“The message was to ‘Stay solid and stay committed to our principles,’” said DeAveiro.
With the Bold holding on to a 12-point lead with just over five minutes left to play in the final frame, second-year Ravens guard Daniel Smith drilled a corner three to cut TMU’s lead down to nine points. However, the Bold answered swiftly in the form of a quick layup by Gutsmore to give the home team a 71-60 lead.
“In the first half, they had their run. But in the second half, it was our turn,” said Gutsmore.
The Ravens would hang around for the next couple of minutes before Rhooms hit a dagger three to give the Bold a 77-65 lead at the 2:32 minute mark. That was followed by a dazzling dribble drive into traffic by Gilgeous-Glasgow, who converted a circus layup with a smile on his face, much to the delight of the frenzied, packed crowd at the MAC.
“This win is a good one to start off our 2025 campaign,” said Gilgeous-Glasgow. “We knew coming into this game that it was going to be a hard-fought win. We executed down the line and played defence. And the scoreboard reflects that.”
UP NEXT: The Bold host the second game of their back-to-back as they take on the Brock Badgers on Jan. 12 at the MAC. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
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