TORONTO - Heartbreak. After going 13-9 during the regular season and securing a first round home game, the TMU Bold men's basketball team's season came to an end on Wednesday with a 74-67 defeat to McMaster. 

The Bold, who had beaten the Marauders in their two previous matchups this season, began the game slowly offensively, shooting just 2-for-7 through their first six trips down the court. They struggled on shots in tight, despite collecting numerous offensive rebounds early. The Bold were strong defensively, however, limiting the Marauders ability to get in the paint and primarily forcing shots from outside. As a result of the Bold's strong zone defence, they held a 10-5 lead after the first five minutes which would quickly grow behind a pair of threes from Aaron Rhooms and Gabriel Gutsmore, part of a 16-0 Bold run. 

David Walker would also play a big role in building the Bold lead. He would record ten first quarter points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field. As a result of Walker's efforts the Bold would ultimately carry a 20-12 lead headed into the second quarter.

The second quarter began with a flurry of fouls on both sides, grinding the game to a halt. The Marauders also instituted a full court press and double teams on the Bold ball handlers, which slowed the TMU offence down further. Despite this, the Bold were able to marginally grow their lead as they continued to defend well and all players hit their open looks.

The Marauders would close the half on an 8-2 run, however, cutting the Bold lead to 34-28 as the teams entered the break. The Marauders run was predicated on Bold misses from the field, turnovers, and McMaster's ability to find open looks from the perimeter.

McMaster opened the second half by continuing their full court press. They continued to find success running the defence, quickly tying the score at 34 just 1:13 into the half. After a Bold timeout, McMaster would take a lead on a three and the Bold continued to turn the ball over on sloppy passes to open the quarter. The Bold were also outrebounded on both ends of the court as the Marauders continued to assert their dominance in the quarter. The Bold were held without a point for the first 5:54 of the half, a disappointing outcome after a solid first half. After going down by 11, at 45-34, the Bold would call their second timeout of the quarter.

"The run just (kept) building. That just tells me we're not ready mentally yet to get through a situation like that," said head coach David DeAverio on the run to begin the half.

Walker would score the Bold's first points of the half on a three point play and the Bold would institute a full-court press of their own. It resulted in a high-tempo, back and forth finish to the third quarter in which both teams had to fight to cross the half court line each possession. After the dust had settled on a wild third quarter, the Marauders held a 53-47 advantage on the scoreboard.

"They started to press us and we started to turn it over. There were too many gaps, too many lulls in our effort," said DeAveiro.

Needing to overcome a six-point deficit in the fourth, the Bold opened with two points from Walker, his 16th and 17th of the evening. Outside of Walker, however, the Bold struggled to get things started offensively. Shots were left just short, and putbacks unfinished as the McMaster lead continued to hover around six.

As the clock ticked below five minutes, the game reached a fever pitch. McMaster hit a three to extend their lead to eight before Lincoln Rosebush responded with a three of his own. Aaron Rhooms would cut the McMaster lead to three just moments later after a McMaster timeout. The teams played at a breakneck pace with each bucket bringing the crowd out of their seats.
With just 1:07 to go, the Bold trailed by seven. They'd miss an open three, allowing McMaster to take possession. The Bold would be unable to pull out the miracle after a pair of misses, as McMaster eliminated the Bold with a 74-67 victory.