By Natasha Pinto
The TMU Bold women’s basketball team secured their first win of the new year in a 72-58 victory over the Brock Badgers on Sunday evening at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).
Former Bold assistant coach, Shae Dheensaw returned to TMU for the first time since being named head coach for the Badgers. Having coached the Bold for three years, Dheensaw knew the tactical display the team would use, something the Bold caught early on.
“There were a couple of offensive actions that would certainly be familiar to [the TMU team],” said head coach Carly Clarke. “But more than anything, it was cool to see how [Dheensaw] is really developing her own thing and is doing a great job.”
The game tipped off with a slow first two minutes of play, as both teams struggled to find the net and instead focused on reading what the opposition had prepared for the matchup. The first points of the game came from fifth-year guard Kaillie Hall who scored both free throws following a foul.
The defensive strategies and plays put into play by Dheensaw helped Brock take the lead with a three-pointer out of the hands of fourth-year guard/forward Madalyn Weinert.
Weinert was the star of the game for the Badgers, finishing with 28 points in 38 minutes on the court. As she began to heat up, the Bold found an answer in defensive specialist third-year forward Zoe Idahosa.
Despite playing only one minute in the first quarter, Idahosa grew in the second quarter and went on to play 16 minutes in the match, a season and career-high for her. She finished with seven rebounds, including five offensive rebounds, along with four points, but her relentless coverage on Weinert was key to the game.
“It was great to defend [those plays]. They put their own spin on it, so it kept us on our toes,” said Idahosa. “One thing that I tried to capitalize on was rebounding—offensively and defensively. [It’s] one easy thing to stick to on court and that’s what I tried to excel in today.”
The team went on to finish with more rebounds than their opponents, posting 27 defensive and 19 offensive rebounds.
Keeping an eye on both sides of the arch where the shots were taken, back-to-back three-point shots from fourth-year forward Haley Fedick and second-year guard Alex Pino, widened the gap to 18-9 for the Bold at the end of the first quarter.
The Bold finished the game with a higher three-point scoring percentage over Brock at 30. Taking on the new year, they have kept it consistently in that range, even with the 63-56 loss against the Carleton Ravens on Saturday.
Second-year guard Catrina Garvey wrapped up the second quarter with another three-pointer with just a second left on the clock setting the score to 21-38 for Brock to play the catchup game in the second half.
The Badgers dominated the third quarter with stronger defence, displaying full-court pressure, taking the opportunity to close in on the Bold with free throws, rebounds and getting physical in the paint.
Clarke and the team “tried to settle in and attack their pressure,” adjusting as they went to ensure they “got the ball moving and didn’t play too rushed.”
To close out the game, the Bold rallied back, putting up 23 points in the final frame, of which Garvey and Hall scored 17.
“We have been playing really well collectively,” Hall said. “It doesn’t really matter if it is me getting downhill or [Jayme Foreman] or [Gavey]. We just have been finding each other really well and are hoping to continue to grow that.”
Reflecting on the game, Clarke thought her team did “some really good things” down the stretch to preserve a victory.
“In the fourth quarter, they were making a run and we were certainly tired from the back-to-back. I thought we did a good job at controlling the game. We got a couple of key scores, found some layups and that was a big goal for us.”
After the win, both teams currently hold an 8-4 record this season.
UP NEXT: The Bold take on the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Jan. 17, at the C.J. Sanders Fieldhouse in Thunder Bay, Ont., in the first game of a back-to-back. Tip-off is set at 6 p.m.
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