By Aswin Priyadharshan

The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) women’s basketball team stormed to a 69-59 win over the defending U Sports national champions, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies, in their second game of the Darcel Wright Memorial Classic at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC) on Friday. 

TMU started the first quarter with a 15-to-5 run, led by fourth-year guard Alex Pino, who shot 50 per cent from the three-point range before the Huskies called their first timeout. Saskatchewan then fired back, closing in on the Bold’s lead by capitalizing on turnovers, but TMU stayed above water, closing out the frame, 20-19.

The second quarter began with the Huskies retaking a 25-20 lead as turnovers continued to plague the Bold. Strong TMU defence and Pino’s sharpshooting kept them within arm’s length, but the Huskies held on as the home team headed into halftime down 32-35.

Fifth-year guard Myriam Kone discussed the team’s halftime adjustments and where they shifted focus in the later stages of the match.

“[Saskatchewan] were getting us pretty well in the inside paint. We were able to stay in the game with our stops, but they were just able to get a lot of close buckets, so that’s what we had to work on. Also, I needed to be more aggressive coming into the second half and finding plays for my teammates.”

Applying her own feedback, Kone came into the third quarter scoring nine points on 60 per cent shooting, getting to the free-throw line to help the Bold re-open a 51-44 lead.

As the fourth quarter began, Kone continued her offensive onslaught, leading the team with 25 points by the end of the game, but it was fourth-year forward Hailey Franco DeRyck who made her presence on the defensive end with three steals and five blocks, along with double-digit rebounds to keep the Huskies away, securing a statement victory, 69-59.

“[DeRyck] is a beast,” Kone said. “It’s always great to have that kind of defensive pressure because those stops are really what keeps the game within our reach. She’s always doing that for us, and I’m proud we were able to prove ourselves against the champs like that.”

UP NEXT: The Bold take on the St. Francis Xavier University X-Women on Oct. 10 at the MAC. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.