TORONTO – The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men's basketball squad opened their quest for an OUA title on Wednesday with an 89-63 triumph over the Guelph Gryphons to advance to the second round of the OUA playoffs.
The Bold didn't flinch for a second in the rout, riding a 15-0 run off tip off to storm past the Gryphons and set up a Saturday-evening matchup with the Western Mustangs.
TMU's offence once again flowed through their leading scorer, Aaron Rhooms, who despite his limited playing time, paced the home side with 21 points through just 26 minutes of action.
"No matter how many minutes I play, it's just about being consistent in my effort, defensively and offensively," said Rhooms.
Aidan Wilson provided the Bold with a lethal one-two punch throughout the contest as well, chipping in eight points in the first frame alone to help his group seize control of their opponent.
The fourth-year finished the evening with 14 points–10 of which coming in the form of a dunk–to continue his scorching form following a season-high offensive output over the McMaster Marauders on the weekend.
"It was a fun first quarter," said Wilson following the game. "My teammates set me up really well for scoring and the last couple of games, they've been instilling some confidence in me and feeding me the rock so it's really their points as much as mine," he added.
"It being part of my last run, I definitely want to get after it more…I'm just trying to end off my career on a good note," added Rhooms.
The blue and gold blitzed Guelph's starters early in the contest to take a commanding 19-8 lead. Jahcobi Neath helped put a ribbon on TMU's early domination with a buzzer-beating three-pointer to cap off a 29-point first quarter and grow his side's lead to 13.
The Bold rallied around a memorable shooting display from the field to strengthen their grip on the Gryphons, going 13-for-24 and scoring 20 of their 29 first-quarter points from the confines of the paint to swing the game's momentum heavily in their favour.
TMU failed to let up on their opponent in the second, broadening their shooting gallery to the perimeter of Guelph's side of the court to maintain their cushion.
A 13-4 run midway through the frame featured Gabriel Gutsmore and Javier Gilgeous-Glasgow combining for a trio of threes to lead the Gryphons 51-30 and help the Bold rebound from a game-low 23 percent showing from beyond the arc in the first.
The Bold slammed the door shut on the Gryphons in the second half to steer aside their first-round opponent, holding the visitors to just four points through the first 7:30 of the third while conducting an 11-2 offensive run of their own to further their lead.
Guelph's offensive struggles helped the Bold pull away in the contest, with the visitors landing just seven of their 29 shot attempts from the field over the final two quarters and going 1-for-11 from beyond the arc.
The Bold kept pace with Guelph in the final frame before the clock ran down on their opponents season and secured TMU's second playoff victory in five years over the Gryphons.
The win advances the Bold to the quarter-finals of the OUA playoffs. The group will visit the Mustangs for a 7 p.m tip off on Saturday as their quest to end an eight-year title drought heats up.
"Playoff basketball is always amped up," said Wilson. "[Western's] going to be a good, hard team to beat. They got a talented squad over there but we're ready for it.
