TMU Athletics & Recreation

ST. CATHARINES — The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men's basketball team defeated the Brock Badgers 79-54 on Friday.

It was the Bold's first meeting with the Badgers since defeating them in the 2025-26 OUA semi-final. 

With the victory, TMU secured its first win of the young season and improved to 1-1. While there's an extended road that lies ahead, it was important for TMU to find its rhythm, especially after a peculiar loss in its home opener against the Laurier Golden Hawks. A slower start doesn't ruin a season - last year's championship team also started the season 1-1 - but it does prevent a new team that features several new faces from finding immediate chemistry. 

While the Bold continue to foster the camaraderie needed to repeat, it helps to lean on the program's defensive identity, which is expected to be present regardless of who wears the jersey.

But it does help when a player has worn the colours before.

TMU forced Brock into 22 turnovers while only committing 13 of its own. The defensive tenacity catapulted the Bold to an early 20-9 second quarter. A big reason why the Bold won the turnover battle was because of returning guards Kevin Toth and Gabriel Gutsmore. Toth set a career high in steals with six. He previously recorded five steals in his rookie season (2024-25) against Brock and the Guelph Gryphons. Gutsmore added four steals of his own. 

Last season, TMU finished third in turnovers forced (16.5) and second in points allowed (67.9). While the Bold looked out of sorts against the Golden Hawks, their smothering presence on the defensive side looked familiar against Brock. 

While the veterans powered the defence, it was a pair of newcomers who supercharged the offence. Fernando De Los Santos (20 points) and Ares Culley-Bremner (12 points) combined for a gritty 32 points on the offensive side of the ball. The offence has evolved from game to game, but De Los Santos has proved to be a consistent force in terms of volume and willpower. Meanwhile, Culley-Bremner, known for his record-setting defensive prowess, has made the most of his usage uptick. To his credit, Culley-Bremner is manufacturing these looks with his presence on the glass and ability to operate in his go-to spots. The hybrid forward has seven field-goal attempts in each of his first two games. In previous years, Culley-Bremner averaged no more than four shots per game. 

Despite a stronger second quarter, Bold head coach David DeAveiro and the rest of the coaching staff pulled all the right levers during halftime. His team responded with an even stronger 29-17 third quarter to effectively put the game out of reach.

The Bold's next game is against the McMaster Marauders on Oct. 31 at the Burridge Gym in Hamilton. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. EST and will be live on OUA.tv.