TORONTO – The No. 6 ranked Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men's basketball squad overcame an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter to power their way to a thrilling win over the Western Mustangs on Wednesday evening.
Aaron Rhooms gobbled all the game's momentum up following a three-pointer in the late stages of the quarter to push the Bold in front of the Mustangs by five. With time expiring on the shot clock, the fourth-year found a way to sail his shot above the outstretched arm of a Western defender before falling to the floor in a backdrop of noise from the Bold faithful.
"It was just a moment where I thought, shoot the shot and stay as calm as possible," said Rhooms following his side's momentum-boosting 91-83 win on Wednesday night.
"The energy from the crowd contributed to our win tonight," he added. Head Coach of the Bold David DeAveiro also praised the turnout for his side following the come-from-behind win, labeling it as his main reason to take on the role as the program's head coach back in 2020.
"This is why I came here. I heard about the crowds that were here before and wanted to be a part of this and to have this kind of crowd. We really can't tell you how much our players appreciate it and it really made a difference in today's game."
TMU outscored the Mustangs 29-17 in the fourth frame to avoid the upset and maintain their spot in the U SPORTS national rankings.
The Bold were able to blitz the Mustangs from the perimeter in the early stages of their midweek contest to grab a four-point lead by the end of the first quarter.
The group hit a snag in the second quarter as Western's key performers began to heat up on the offensive side of the ball.
The visitors picked up points from both their leading scorer in Milan John, as well as the OUA's leading producer from the field in Matteo Zagar, both chipping in five points respectfully to take a 44-39 lead at half while the Bold pieced together a meager 0-for-5 performance from three-point range.
TMU rediscovered their stride in the third frame however, shifting their offense back into gear with a 9-0 run to apply pressure on the leading Mustangs.
Aidan Wilson shined to help propel the Bold into a fighting position to kickoff the fourth quarter, stringing together a dunk, a layup and a block along the width of his own net to push his group into a one-possession bout with Western.
"We've always known Aidan has the ability," praised DeAveiro of his fourth-year. "It's just bringing that out and I thought today was spectacular," he added.
Despite trailing by as much as eight points in the final frame, the Bold continued to knock down points and stick with the Mustangs to give themselves a chance at a comeback.
A free-throw from Gabriel Gutsmore with 4:18 remaining in the quarter kickstarted a 13-2 run for TMU's offense to help undercut the visitors and claim their sixth win of the season in thrilling fashion.
The Bold will look to add to their hot start on the campaign with a win against the Windsor Lancers on Saturday. Tip off from the MAC is set for 6 p.m. Students get in free to all home games with their OneCard.
