WATERLOO, Ont. –  For the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold women's basketball team, the rare blemishes on what has been a near-perfect season have occurred away from the confines of the Mattamy Athletic Centre. 

TMU's two losses this season happened on the road in gut-wrenching one-possession games. While the No. 3-ranked team in the nation likely views every matchup as important, there's value in correcting miscues that could give way to self-doubt, especially in the lead-up to the playoffs. 

In their final away game of the OUA regular season, the Bold continued to build momentum after defeating the Waterloo Warriors 58-55 on Saturday. 

While flipping the script on excruciating finishes in tightly-contested road bouts, the Bold also improved to 18-2 and snapped the Warriors' two-game home winning streak. 

TMU started strong on offence with guards Ella McDonald and Catrina Garvey knocking down back-to-back triples. While the Bold didn't initially seem too concerned about the Warriors' fifth-ranked defence, they made it clear that their own defence would be problematic for any opposing ball handlers. 

The Bold hold opponents to 34.7 per cent from the field this season, which is fourth best in the OUA. Waterloo finished the game at 37.3 per cent. TMU also relied on its signature full-court press to force Waterloo into 25 turnovers.

With the game tied at 11-11, TMU's defence fuelled a 9-0 run to establish a lead it wouldn't relinquish until late in the game. It started when forward Jessica Keripe, whose athleticism allowed her to intercept a cross-court pass, drove to the basket for the score and the foul. Keripe finished with nine points. Moments later, Hailey Franco DeRyck snuck her way into a Warrior player's blind spot to strip the ball. After securing possession, Franco DeRyck was a blur as she raced down the court for two points. Franco DeRyck led the team with 12 rebounds to go with six points.   

Despite TMU finishing the first quarter 4-of-9 from deep, Waterloo went into a 2-3 zone early in the second frame. The first possession produced early returns for the Warriors as they forced the Bold into a rare 24-second shot clock violation. 

But that's when Myriam Kone made her presence felt. 

With Eternati Willock at the top of the arc as a six-foot-four playmaking hub, the Warriors set up in their zone. Willock zipped a pass to Kone on the left wing and the four-year Bold guard showed off her lightning-fast release for a three. Later in the half, Kone set a misdirection off-ball screen on the right wing before taking a dribble hand-off from Franco DeRyck. In the blink of an eye, Kone squared up to the basket and hit another three against the zone. 

Kone finished with a game-high 23 points.

The Bold eventually went cold from the perimeter, which allowed the Warriors to claw their way back into the game. When the Warriors took a 55-53 lead, Kone's steal and score provided the Bold with much-needed reprieve from their shooting struggles. 

On the following possession, TMU's inspiring defence generated a five-second violation on Waterloo. After Bold Head Coach Carly Clarke called a timeout to draw up a play, the Bold took the court for the biggest moment of the night.

Waterloo doubled Kone and the ball eventually found its way to Garvey. The sharpshooter attacked a closeout before hitting a contested mid-range that would ultimately be the game-winner.  

The Bold close their regular season with two home games, beginning with a matchup against the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Feb. 11. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on OUA.tv.