The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women's basketball squad sealed the deal on their hosting position in the upcoming OUA playoffs with a 74-66 victory over the York Lions on Wednesday.
The Bold used a 44-point second half to propel themselves to victory. Kaillie Hall personified TMU's late onslaught with 16 of her team-leading 20 points coming after the intermission.
Catrina Garvey and Haley Fedick tacked on 19 and 16 points respectively against the Lions, with the latter finishing just three rebounds shy of a third double-double on home soil this season.
Hailey Franco-DeRyck also posted a dominant outing for the Bold in Wednesday's win, picking up seven rebounds to take sole possession of the program's all-time single season rebound record.
"I think [Franco-DeRyck's] role is super important. She embraces the fact that she's a tremendous rebounder," mentioned head coach of the Bold Carly Clarke following the game.
"She's proven herself already in her first year to be one of the best rebounders in the conference."
TMU jumped out to an early lead to open up their final home contest of the regular season, using the hot play of Fedick and Garvey to quickly distance themselves from the Lions in the opening quarter.
The two combined for 13 of TMU's 16 points in the first frame, with Fedick picking up a pair of assists to help establish a six-point lead for the Bold to feed off of heading into the second quarter.
York flipped the script of their offense entirely throughout the second quarter however, using an early six-point effort from Ruqaya Green and a dominant seven-point showing from their leading scorer Kiara Leverage to stun the Bold and create a 35-30 lead at the break.
The steep decline in offense saw TMU struggle to shoot from both sides of the arc and get outplayed by the Lions around the glass, picking up four rebounds to York's eight while converting on three of their 13 chances from field goal range.
York's Gabriella DiPietro capped off a closing 7-0 run from the visitors with a deep three along the edge of her side's bench to silence the home crowd and carry all of Wednesday's momentum into the second half.
TMU opened the third frame of Wednesday's contest with a refound energy and a lethal response to their second-quarter struggles.
Led by a pair of threes from Garvey and a pair of layups from Hall, the Bold outscored the Lions 12-2 to regain their lead and force a timeout from their opposition.
With a lead in hand, the Bold failed to look back, ringing off another 12-2 run to start the fourth and sinking seven consecutive free throws to slam the door shut on a late comeback bid from the Lions.
Hall pulverized the floor in the fourth quarter, piecing together 12 points to help secure victory for the Bold in what may be the second-last home game of her OUA career.
"[Hall's] a fantastic penetrator, she really helps initiate all of our offenses," said Garvey following the win.
"When we work together like we did today, it's beautiful," she added.
Clarke used the words 'leader, versatile and determined' during her senior-night speech to describe the impact of Hall throughout her four-year tenure with the Bold.
With an extra year of league eligibility still on the table for the veteran guard, Clarke jokingly encouraged Hall for a potential reunion while presenting her with ceremonial flowers following the game.
Sarai Bailey joined Hall as the only two players set to graduate from the program following the conclusion of the postseason.
TMU will look to close out their season with an equal result against the Lions when they take on the squad on Saturday. Tip off from Tait McKenzie Centre is set for 6:00 p.m.
