By Francesco Cautillo

The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s basketball team kicked off their Darcel Wright Memorial Classic with a dominant 49-48 victory over the McGill University Martlets on Thursday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).

The Bold entered this matchup with a 3-1 record across their exhibition games and pre-season tournaments. TMU was looking for their third straight, after wins against the Cape Breton University Capers and Memorial University Sea-Hawks.

Both squads came into the game with speed but it was TMU who started the first push by attacking the rim with intensity. Third-year guard Catrina Garvey punched her name on the scoresheet early with back-back three pointers. Despite the Bold committing many fouls, McGill continued to respond with their efficiency from the mid-range. TMU ended the first quarter with a narrow 19-13 lead.

“We were a little handsy, a little rushed,” said Garvey on her team’s defence. She added that “We knew what we had to do and how to do it.”

Martlets sixth-year guard Emma-Jane Scotten was the main driver of McGill’s paint dominance, keeping the deficit within five. However, the Martlets’ tight defence couldn’t contain fourth-year guard Kait Nichols, who carried over her momentum from the first quarter.

Although the Martlets struggled with their long distance shooting, their rebounding allowed for extra possessions, allowing them to benefit off their failed attempts. The Bold bench exploded after a successful and-one from fourth-year guard/forward Zoe Idahosa, continuing to give them the advantage in this back-and-forth matchup. 

The teams headed back to the dressing room after a tight 20 minutes, hoping to find the key that would help separate them from their opponents.

Garvey commented on head coach Carly Clarke’s halftime speech, saying that “We were told to get rebounds, and had to collectively come together and get that defence in order.”

The Bold encountered some problems offensively to start the second half, picking up multiple offensive fouls and struggling to find their attacking spark. A driving layup from Garvey boosted her squad, propelling them to multiple unanswered baskets, expanding their lead to seven.

With the score at 33-28 in favour of TMU, fourth-year guard Myriam Kone drained a three-ball to increase the pressure on McGill. Fourth-year forward Jessica Keripe drew a pair of fouls to mark her tally up to seven, her hustle pursued on defence keeping the lead in TMU’s favour.

McGill began their final quarter still trailing, still attempting to fix their ongoing issues from beyond the three-point mark. Due to this issue, the Martlets were forced to increase their pressure on the Bold’s offence. 

With just under five minutes left in the game, first-year guard Ella McDonald hit a three-point shot to mark a 49-38 lead for the Bold, their biggest of the game. The fans in the MAC seemed certain that McDonald’s three was the win-clinching dagger.

However, back-to-back threes put McGill back in contention, leaving TMU flat-footed and in need of a timeout. The scoreboard read 49-48 with just over a minute left, foreshadowing a nail-biting finish.

With 15 seconds left, McGill had the final possession and drew a foul deep in the TMU zone. Third-year forward Seyna Diggs stepped up to the free-throw line with the game on her hands, but missed both shots to confirm the Bold’s victory.

The game ended 49-48, marking a third consecutive victory for TMU.

UP NEXT: The Bold will continue the Darcel Wright Memorial Classic against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies on Friday. Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m.