TORONTO – The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men's basketball squad rectified their second-half stumble from a week ago in historic fashion on Saturday, rallying around a season-best 37-point quarter to erase a sizeable halftime deficit and stun the York Lions in an 81-65 win.
A dysfunctional start to the evening left the Bold trailing their city rival 38-24 at the break and in dire need of some momentum. The group discovered the groove that eluded them in emphatic fashion throughout the third quarter, capitalizing on a hot start to the frame from their leading scorer, Aaron Rhooms, to kickstart the team's best turnaround of the season.
"I was disappointed we were in that position to start," said Head Coach of the Bold, David DeAveiro, following his side's come-from-behind win on Saturday. "The response was great… we had to create some energy because we didn't have any in the first half," he added.
Rhooms capped off his first game back on the court since Wednesday's career-best 43-point showing with 26 points to help guide the Bold to their second win of the week and continue his scorching form.
First-year Maxime Louis-Jean rounded out the Bold's attack with a season-high 21 points of his own, heating up in timely fashion to help the Bold manufacture, as well as maintain a grip on the Lions throughout the back half of Saturday's contest.
"We were down 16 you know, looking bleak on senior night," said fourth-year Elijah Roye following his final home contest of his OUA career. "We took it on us and we got it through… really proud of these guys and couldn't ask for more on a senior night," he added.
TMU began their celebratory affair on upset watch for a second Saturday in a row, shooting just under 22 percent from the field and effectively being put on mute from a commemorable Lions defence.
The visitors swarmed the Bold in the paint to obstruct what became traditional open looks in TMU's dominant victory against Brock in midweek action. York clogged the perimeter well, holding the Bold to an 0-5 showing from beyond the arc while piecing together four blocks to totally shut down the blue and gold's attack.
York's leading scorer, Liam Reitschin, came alive in the second quarter to help guide the visitors to a 15-point lead midway through the middle frame, using a game-high ten points to further mount the frustration on the Bold ahead of the halftime buzzer.
Luckily for the Bold, their leading scorer was just beginning to find his form in the early stages of the third, slamming down ten points of his own through the opening four minutes to keep the Lions from running away with their halftime lead.
The energy in the building quickly shifted from there, with the Bold pouncing on an 11-2 run to get within a single point of the Lions. Roye and Kevin Toth expedited the Bold's comeback in the third, scoring layups on back-to-back possessions to steal the life out of the Lions' defense and rekindle some much needed life into the home crowd.
Louis-Jean pulled the Bold level later in the frame with an emphatic three, only to be followed up six-seconds later with another layup from Toth to secure TMU their first lead of the evening and cap off an epic turnaround from the home side.
The third quarter showed the Bold at their best. The group brought an element of resilience, clutch and poise to recover their place atop the Lions, continuing that trend in the fourth quarter by outscoring their opponent 20-12.
Out of nowhere, the Bold struck the Lions and continued to chip away at their lead until there was no advantage left to steal.
The Lions unraveled in the final frame as dunks they hit regularly throughout the first half rang out from the rim, threes that once silenced TMU's runs fell well short of the mark and the blocks that became their rallying point in the opening quarter was diluted to a six-letter prayer that sat on the lips of their defenders as the Bold secured their come-from-behind win with ease.
The two teams will match up once more when the Bold head across the city to take on the Lions on the road. Tip off is set for Wednesday evening at 8 p.m. Watch the contest on OUA.tv.
