By TJ Atayde

The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women’s basketball team conquered the University of Western Mustangs 82-76 on Saturday night at the Mattamy Athletic Centre (MAC).

Coming off a 90-36 rout over the Ottawa Gee-Gees the previous night, the Bold were looking to maintain their perfect start to the OUA season at home versus the Western Mustangs.

TMU would be playing this game without fifth-year guard Myriam Kone, who sustained a neck injury early in the first quarter of last night’s encounter.

Both teams were on level terms throughout the first part of the opening period until TMU flurried with a 12-2 run, highlighted by fourth-year forward Hailey Franco DeRyck dropping 8 points and 5 rebounds in the quarter.

With her five first quarter rebounds, Franco DeRyck officially became TMU’s all-time program leader in career rebounds.

“It means a lot to me…it just solidifies all the hard work I’ve put in throughout the years,” said Franco DeRyck on what the accomplishment personally meant to her.

The Mustangs were able to respond to the Bold’s flurry, ending the quarter by cutting the deficit to 24-17.

Western played the entire game with a zone defence, a tactic which TMU exploited by knocking down three-pointers all throughout the entire second quarter.

Fourth-year guard Catrina Garvey, who had shot 2 for 14 the previous outing against Ottawa, caught fire in the first half. Garvey scored 19 points with five of her makes coming from beyond the arc.

“That’s just Cat, she has spent so many hours in the gym working on her ability to shoot…her craft and the effort that she’s put in to become the level of shooter that she is doesn’t make me surprised,” said interim head coach Stefanija Mrvaljevic.

Garvey’s performance highlighted an 18-4 scoring stretch in the middle of the period.

This consistency helped TMU grab a 48-30 advantage heading into the second half.

Western came out of the locker room at halftime with a vengeance, stringing together baskets and cutting the TMU lead to just seven points.

Third-year guard Nicole Daly led all scorers in this game with 24 points, helping the Mustangs get back in the game.

The Bold were without Franco DeRyck for a good part of the period as she picked up her third foul of the game halfway through the quarter. 

However, they would stay in front throughout the duration of the third, ultimately coming ahead 62-56 heading into the final frame.

TMU would get a much needed impact off their bench depth, as first-year guard Juliette Gargya provided impactful points at the start of the quarter.

“I feel great…I like playing with them,” said Gargya, who finished the night with 15 points off the bench.

Western was within six points later in the fourth period until second-year guard Ella McDonald drained back-to-back three pointers to extend TMU’s lead to 12. 

The Mustangs would not back down easy, answering with a 7-0 run to cut the Bold’s get themselves back within reach. But once again, another depth piece stepped up for TMU as fourth-year guard Alex Pino converted two consecutive baskets to keep Toronto firm in the lead.

“We have depth 1 through 15 on our roster so moments like this allow other people on our roster to shine,” said Mrvaljevic.

The Bold would steady the ship all the way to the end of the game as they would hang on to take a 82-76 victory and remain undefeated on the OUA season.

UP NEXT: The Bold take on the Waterloo Warriors at the MAC. Tip-off at 6:00 PM on Nov. 20.