Despite their late life, The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men's basketball squad were unable to record a weekend sweep over the Lakehead Thunderwolves on Saturday night, falling 86-78 in the backend of their two opening contests to the season. 

The Bold shot just over 25% from three-point range in the losing effort while the Thunderwolves nearly doubled the home side in that category. TMU never led in Saturday's contest. 

"Tonight we got humbled," said head coach of the Bold David DeAveiro following the loss. "They were hungry, they wanted this game and they won today," he added.

Tyler and Chris Sagl smothered TMU offensively in the early stages of the first quarter, paving a large mountain for the Bold to overcome right out of the gates. The two combined for 14 of the Thunderwolves' 22 points in an opening frame heavily dominated by the visitors.

TMU's attack was silent for much of the opening half - let alone the game's initial quarter, landing just a single shot from beyond the arc on their first 11 attempts. The group would find some life offensively as the second quarter came to a close, cutting a 14-point deficit to a manageable five-point hill to climb at half. 

Third-year guard Aaron Rhooms helped spark the comeback for the Bold, throwing down nine of his opening 12 points during TMU's dominant stretch of play. The momentum that appeared to be snatched by the Bold and carried into the third, quickly evaporated in the initial stages of the second half. 

Back-to-back jumpers from three-point range would land for the Thunderwolves as part of a nine-point run for the visitors. The triple tally played a crucial role in helping Lakehead grab control of the game and bring their halftime lead to new heights, shooting just over 70% from the outer rim throughout the third frame while the Bold failed to tack on a single jumping three of their own. 

"We're not shooting the three well. That's probably not one of our strengths," mentioned DeAveiro. 

Like they did late in the second quarter of tonight's contest, the Bold rallied off points to try and bridge the gap between themselves and their opposition. Despite outscoring the Thunderwolves in points (27-19) throughout the final quarter, it was a pair of threes from Nathan Bilamu that silenced the home crowd and eventually secured the win for the visiting side. 
 

TMU's Marsei Caston quietly registered ten points during the final quarter to help his side inch closer to a come-from-behind victory. Simon Chamberlain also lended a helping hand in the comeback effort, recording 13 of his 20 total points in the final quarter.

 

The Bold will look to bounce back Wednesday evening against the McMaster Marauders. Tip off is set for 8:00 p.m.