Toronto — The No. 3 nationally ranked Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women's basketball team seized the first victory of the Metro Hoops Classic series against the University of Toronto (U of T) Varsity Blues 82-51.

Leading the charge was guard Myriam Kone, who posted a season-high 25 points and seven rebounds. 

"Honestly, it feels really good, and I think I couldn't have done it without my teammates," said Kone. "Their support, their passes, finding me, believing in me and trusting me."

The first quarter began tightly contested, both teams building off their early momentum. Kone found some early confidence, producing offensively. The guard had 14 points in the first half alone, demonstrating her offensive power. 

Catrina Garvey also got some early points on the board, feeling comfortable in her shot. She finished the game with 19 points.

The Bold's dominant play allowed them to slowly start forming a lead, closing the first quarter ahead, 25-13.

The second quarter was when the Bold began pulling away from the Varsity Blues. Taking advantage of U of T's turnover struggles, they capitalized. Ball movement was another key component to this Bold offensive run. Various players were executing on the court, the team all syncing in motion. 

Coach Clarke was pleased with the roster's demonstration of depth and connection: "We have a lot of belief in everybody on our team. We're continuing to try to build role clarity and understand how everybody can impact the game — everyone did a great job with that today."

Hailey Franco DeRyck held strong on the court, getting her hands on the ball when possible. She contributed 10 rebounds and seven points. The Bold had a secure 45-27 lead at halftime.

The Bold's defence was the highlight of their third quarter, holding U of T to nine points. There were also some bench contributions from TMU. Alex Pino had a standout third quarter, sinking three-pointers to end the game with nine points.

"I think [Pino] got a lot of open looks today," said Coach Clarke. "She found a rhythm and those ones in the second half and that kind of put the dagger in it for us."

TMU closed the third with a commanding 72-36 lead.

Letting the starters rest and giving some of the younger players some minutes, the Bold had a closer fourth quarter. 

"I think just focusing on every single possession," said Coach Clarke on how she plans to improve the Bold's fourth quarter push. "We got to rebound better, and we'll keep working on that."

"We wanted to come into the game and dominate, and we did that," said Alex Pino. "But it's just another business trip like [Coach Clarke] said, so we move on to the next."

The Bold will host the McMaster Marauders on Wednesday, Nov. 5 for their Y2K night. Game time at the Mattamy Athletic Centre is 6 p.m. All TMU students get free admission with their OneCards.