CALGARY — When the Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men's basketball team emerged at halftime, there was a calming layer of confidence that permeated from their side of the court. TMU ultimately leveraged its unwavering belief to erase an 18-point deficit. 

"We just remembered who we are," said Bold forward Aaron Rhooms.

In a tale of two halves, the Bold defeated the University of British Columbia (UBC) Thunderbirds 97-91 on Friday. 

Rhooms led all players with 24 points. Gabriel Gutsmore added 23 points. Kevin Toth scored all 21 of his points in the fourth quarter to help TMU secure a spot in the final four of the U SPORTS National Championship. 

"We just knew we weren't playing to the best of our ability," said Toth. "We really talked about taking it one possession at a time." 

Despite winning the OUA title and entering the matchup as the number two seed, the Bold initially struggled with imposter syndrome in the first round of a tournament featuring the eight best teams in the nation.

The Thunderbirds' early game plan centered around various zone defences that dared the Bold to beat them from the perimeter, specifically from the corners and deep wings. 

While the Bold recognized this early, they struggled to convert on numerous open threes. TMU finished the half shooting 6-for-22 from the perimeter. The Bold averaged 25.7 three-point attempts during the OUA regular-season. 

With its season on the line, TMU began the third quarter on an electric 19-3 run. Fresh off earning Player of the Game honours in the OUA Championship, Gutsmore knocked down the Bold's first three-point attempt. Later in the quarter, guard Maxime Louis-Jean would hit back-to-back triples. Deandre Goulbourne's left corner three-pointer put the Bold up 59-58, marking the team's first lead of the contest. Louis-Jean and Goulbourne each finished with ten points. 

TMU's three-point barrage carried into the final frame, with Gutsmore and Toth hitting their early attempts from beyond-the-arc. After a porous start, the Bold shot a blistering 61 per cent (11-for-18) from three in the second half. Their drastic shooting improvement completely transformed the Thunderbirds' defensive approach. UBC eventually mixed in man-to-man coverages, which subsequently opened up TMU's offensive playbook.

One of those options came in the form of a transcendent performance by Toth. The second-year guard authored a legendary fourth quarter, accounting for 21 of the Bold's 34 points. Toth set a career-high in three-pointers made (five) and field-goals made (seven). 

"It was a surreal feeling," said Toth. "I was just trying to find shots within rhythm and they kept going down." 

Despite Toth's generational scoring outburst, the Bold still needed to fight off a relentless Thunderbirds team. Late in the fourth quarter, TMU's Greg Dorsey drew a momentum-building offensive foul. The six-foot-eight forward had also baited a Thunderbird player into a charge earlier in the half. 

With the score tied at 82-82, Rhooms grabbed an offensive rebound after Toth's acrobatic layup attempt hit the rim. Rhooms then scored two points while drawing the foul. The U SPORTS National Player of the Year knocked down the ensuing free throw to give the Bold a three-point lead.

UBC later tied the game with a right-wing three-pointer. That's when Toth responded with a three of his own, a mid-range floater, and then another triple. Toth scored 10 of the Bold's final 12 points to seal the victory. 

The Bold will play the Carleton Ravens in the semi-final. TMU defeated Carleton 66-56 in the OUA finals. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EST on various CBC platforms.