By Harsh Kumar
The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s basketball team fell short against the Brock University Badgers with an 81-68 loss on Nov. 11 at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).
The Badgers were looking to keep their season record clean after starting off with no losses. On the other hand, the Bold struggled with three-point shooting in previous games and were hoping to find their stride in this game.
However, the Bold couldn’t find their groove on the offensive end and returned to the poor shooting ways. TMU went 7-38 from three-point range as their pains from beyond the arc continued.
“They wouldn’t let us get in the paint…and forced us to shoot 38 threes,” said Bold head coach David DeAveiro. “Three-point shooting was not good today.”
As the Bold struggled offensively, third-year guard Aaron Rhooms had an off night—dropping only five points while shooting two-for-eleven from the field. Fourth-year guard David Walker led the Bold in points with 16, yet shot 1-7 from three.
In the opening quarter, the Brock Badgers came out strong taking an early 7-0 lead in the first couple of minutes led by third-year forward Jordan Tchuente.
Shortly after, the Bold fought back, bringing the game within one point with under six minutes left.
“We didn’t look like a team that’s ranked sixth nationally.”
The Bold’s offence struggled early, but a couple of fouls by the Badgers allowed them to take the lead as they ended the first quarter up 21-18.
The defence was the story throughout the second quarter for the Badgers, as they held the Bold to just one point for the first half of the frame.
An offensive surge by the Badgers allowed them to finish the first half leading 34-31 over the Bold at halftime.
The Bold were hoping to shift momentum in the third quarter with a couple of early steals by Walker and layups by third-year forward Simon Chamberlain.
However, the Badgers kept pushing on the offensive side and extended their lead to double digits with four minutes left in the quarter. Brock took control of the game and finished the quarter up 62-48.
“We lost the third quarter by 11 and that’s the game,” said DeAveiro.
Brock extended their lead early in the fourth as the Bold couldn’t get anything going offensively. The Badgers cruised to an 81-68 to remain undefeated early this season.
“We didn’t look like a team that’s ranked sixth nationally. [We] got a long way to go,” said fifth-year forward Lincoln Rosebush.
UP NEXT: The Bold look to pick up a win against their inter-city rivals the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Nov. 15 at the Goldring Centre. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
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