By Liam Stevenson

The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s basketball team electrified the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Wednesday night, as they sent the Brock University Badgers home after beating them 77-64 in the Wilson Cup semifinal.

The win advances the Bold to the Wilson Cup for the first time since 2019, with the chance to be crowned the top team in Ontario University Athletics (OUA). They have also clinched a spot to compete in the U Sports national championship.

After a rough start on the weekend against the Guelph Gryphons, the Bold were now facing a team they had already lost to twice this season. TMU started off slow as Brock jumped to a 6-0 lead.

The Badgers’ lead was short-lived as fifth-year guard Aaron Rhooms took over the game offensively early in the first. Rhooms proceeded to score 15 straight points for the Bold, including multiple three-pointers, and an emphatic dunk to cap off the run. It was part of Rhooms’ game-high 27 points. 

“He’s not afraid of the moment,” said head coach David DeAveiro of Rhooms’ performance. “Moments like this, Rhooms lives to play for.”

“I was just trying to find my spots,” said Rhooms. “My teammates trust me.”

Building off that momentum, the Bold dominated the second quarter, starting early on with a big block by second-year forward Andrejs Silconoks, which led to a transition three by second-year guard Kevin Toth, bringing the MAC crowd to their feet, which was a common theme for the night. Rhooms kept the crowd going with his own double clutch dunk as part of his 21 first-half points, willing the Bold to a 42-32 lead going into the half.

The second half was more of the same from the Bold, as third-year guard/forward Deandre Goulbourne found his rhythm with a corner three– part of his 17 points in the game. That shot was followed by a three from Rhooms, and another from second-year guard Maxime Louis-Jean, part of a 9-0 run for TMU that put the crowd into a state of elation. The Bold ended the quarter up 17.

The fourth quarter began with Toth scoring on almost identical layups back to back, part of his 12 points in what head coach DeAveiro called a “bounce back” game.

“It’s just taking what the game gives me,” said Toth.

Goulbourne put his stamp on the game at the end of the final frame, coming down the court in transition and rising up for an emphatic poster dunk that blew the roof off the MAC, sending the fans into a frenzy. Soon after, the fans bid their farewell to both the Brock fans and players with chants of “start the bus.”

The fans played a major part all night, and coach DeAveiro had high praise for them. “This is why players want to come here… because if we have crowds like this, we won’t lose at home.”

“It felt like the crowd was on the floor with us,” said Rhooms. The Bold’s sights now shift to the Wilson Cup Final, an opportunity that Rhooms says “means the world.”

“I don’t know how many chances you get to play for the Wilson Cup,” said coach DeAveiro, “but this group, from the beginning, I said they had the chance to do it.”

UP NEXT: The Bold will be back in the MAC on Feb. 28 at 7 p.m., to have a chance to win the provincial championship against the Carleton University Ravens.