By Trae Dieye

The Toronto Metropolitan University Bold (TMU) men’s basketball team hounded the University of Toronto (U of T) Varsity Blues defensively in an 82-66 victory—characterized by aggressive play and an electric atmosphere—at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Wednesday night.

TMU and U of T fans alike showed up for the second edition of the Metro Hoops Classic, a cross-town rivalry game between the two universities.

Third-year guard Gabriel Gutsmore started the festivities finding himself wide open after the opening tip for a dunk that set the tone for a rivalry showdown between the Toronto teams.

TMU wasted no time applying pressure on U of T with a full-court press from the first possession. Lapses in their defensive coverage caused the Bold to pick up three early fouls in the opening minutes of the game. Both teams got off to a slow start with shooting struggles until second-year guard Kevin Toth jumpstarted the Bold with a spin jumper midway through the first quarter.

First-year guard Mikey Ballout hit two three-pointers for U of T before first-year TMU guard Gurdeep Kalsi responded with a defensive stop, followed by a deep three. Second-year guard Maxime Louis-Jean added a corner three at the buzzer to end the first quarter with TMU leading 24-16.

Entering the second quarter with four fouls, TMU committed to its aggressive play style, with second-year forward Andrej Silconoks receiving a technical foul before scoring two points at the free throw line on the next possession. The quarter was mired by both teams committing fouls, as fifth-year forward Aidan Wilson fouled third-year guard Lucas Prekovic on a three-point attempt. Prekovic made all three free throws to bring U of T within three points of the Bold before head coach David DeAveiro substituted fifth-year forward Aaron Rhooms and Toth to change the pace of the contest.

Toth recorded a block on a Varsity Blues fast break with less than six minutes left in the second, and both teams went scoreless for nearly three minutes before third-year wing Deandre Goulbourne found Silconoks in the paint for a dunk. Toth and Goulbourne heated up, the former making a sensational play towards the end of the quarter. He kicked out to Goulbourne for a three-point attempt, grabbed the rebound and dished a no-look pass to Goulbourne for a highlight slam. He followed it up with a quick steal and layup to give the Bold a 10-point lead.

Rhooms made two free throws and Goulbourne, who finished the game with nine points and eight rebounds, hit a corner three to end the quarter with TMU leading 47-32.

The third quarter began with both teams missing shots before fourth-year guard Nigel Hylton forced a layup through contact. With TMU taking advantage of its size in the paint to win rebounds and force turnovers, Goulbourne blocked second-year guard Rohan Scott-Smith early in the third and found Toth on the other end for a floater a few plays later. Gutsmore made a hustle play to prevent a backcourt violation before hitting a jumper with five minutes left in the third.

The Bold found their shooters to end the quarter, with Gutsmore and Toth connecting for a pair of threes as TMU shot 3-for-7 from beyond the arc in the frame. Fourth-year guard Darnaz Mabanza found Rhooms for a corner three with 16 seconds left, and Toronto was held scoreless to end the quarter as TMU led by 21 points.

For Rhooms, who finished with 17 points and seven rebounds, the home crowd fuelled the win. “We had two good teams battling it out, and the turnout was great,” he said. “We want to keep that energy for the guys working hard and putting on a show for the community.”

The Varsity Blues were unable to catch up in the fourth as the Bold cruised to victory, with Rhooms and Toth sitting out the final quarter. Louis-Jean scored a jumper with seven minutes left, and U of T’s Scott-Smith left the game with an injury on the play. The guard was leading his team in scoring with 11 points at the time, and Ballout’s 17 were not enough to overcome the deficit as TMU secured its 16th win of the season in the second Metro Hoops Classic.

TMU is now first in the Ontario University Athletics Central Division. The Bold will have the chance to honour their vets during senior night where in the final game of the regular season program standout and all-time scoring leader Aaron Rhooms will rep the blue white and gold—possibly for the last time.

“It’s a bit bittersweet,” said Rhooms about his tenure with the Bold. “This community has been great to me and has shown a lot of love to me over the years.”

DeAveiro stressed the importance of growing the rivalry in his post-game interview. “The Metro Hoops Classic has to get bigger,” he said. “I think it can be a very big event, but we need the student body and administration on both sides to make it an event. It hasn’t reached the level I think it can get to.”

UP NEXT: The Bold will return to the MAC on Feb. 14 for their matchup against the Lakehead University Thunderwolves. Tip-off is at 8 p.m.