Fed conquer sixth-ranked Ravens with second-half lockdown – The Eyeopener

On By Littum

By Todd Ash-Duah

The Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) Bold men’s basketball team defeated the Carleton Ravens 85-72 on Saturday night at the Mattamy Athletic Center (MAC).

Every team came into this game looking for something to prove. The Bold looked to bounce back from a double-digit loss to the seventh-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees on November 30. Meanwhile, the Ravens looked to build on their dominant 86-59 win over the University of Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday. In a game featuring two nationally ranked teams—the bold are ranked fifth and the ravens sixth– the Bold threw and landed more punches on the Ravens than they took to secure the win.

“We hadn’t beaten a ranked team,” head coach David DeAveiro said. “It was important for us to go out and compete against these guys tonight.”

The game began with both teams shooting lights out from downtown as the Ravens knocked down six of their 11 three-point attempts while Bold went 4-of-5 from three-point range. Led by third-year guard Javier Gilgeous-Glascow’s eight points, TMU held a 26-25 lead over Carleton at the end of a high-scoring and fast-paced first quarter.

The second quarter began with fourth-year Bold guard Aaron Rhooms knocking down a three-pointer to extend TMU’s lead to four points. Rhooms, who entered the game averaging 18.5 points per game, finished with 22 points and was one of four Bold players to score in double figures.

Bold sophomore guard Gabriel Gutsmore was one of those players as he chipped in with 19 points.

“The main thing was energy,” Gutsmore said. “We know we have a deep team — we don’t have a primary scorer. That’s what makes us so hard to guard because anybody can jump off at any time.”

With less than a minute left before halftime, Bold continued to light it up from distance as freshman guard Maxime Louis-Jean knocked down a three-pointer that drew cheers from the MAC crowd, giving TMU a five-point lead. Louis-Jean was on fire from downtown in the first half, shooting 4-7 from three-point range.

“(Louis-Jean) was someone who was on our radar (in the recruiting process) over the summer,” DeAveiro said. “He’s someone we recruited not only because of his toughness, but also because he can shoot the ball.”

The Bold focused on defense in the second quarter, holding the Ravens to 19 points while also forcing seven turnovers.

Into the second half, TMU held a 47-44 lead over the visitors.

Both teams played gritty, lockdown defense as both Carleton and TMU combined to score just five points through the first five minutes of the third quarter. Gilgeous-Glasgow would end Bold’s scoring drought, knocking down a three-pointer from the wing to give TMU a 52-47 lead.

With just over three minutes left in the frame, Gilgeous-Glasgow continued to be a thorn in the side of the Ravens, hitting a pull-up three-pointer from the left wing to give Bold a nine-point lead, prompting Carleton to call a quick timeout.

“Coach told us when we came in after halftime that we had to impose our will,” Gilgeous-Glasgow said. “(Carleton is) a well-coached team, well-run organization over there, so we had to make sure we kept our foot on their neck.”

Out of the timeout, Bold extended their lead. Anchored by their elite defense, TMU clamped down on Carleton, holding the Ravens to just seven points and 2-18 (11.1 percent) from the field.

“We have great coaches,” Gilgeous-Glasgow said. “They watch film, study the other team, and we just come in every day and try to execute to the best of our ability.”

The Bold finished the third quarter in style, with freshman guard Kevin Toth feeding sophomore guard Gabriel Gutsmore on a slick pass for an easy layup to give TMU a 62-51 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

However, a very good Ravens team would not go away so easily. Carleton opened the fourth quarter on a quick 4-0 run. An uncontested layup from third-year guard Nelson Cilien led directly to a timeout called by Bold.

“The message was to ‘Stay strong and stay committed to our principles,'” DeAveiro said.

With Bold clinging to a 12-point lead with just over five minutes to play in the final frame, sophomore Ravens guard Daniel Smith made a corner three to cut TMU’s lead to nine points. However, Bold responded quickly in the form of a quick layup by Gutsmore to give the home team a 71-60 lead.

“In the first half they had their run. But in the second half it was our turn,” Gutsmore said.

The Ravens would hang around for the next few minutes before Rhooms hit a dagger three to give Bold a 77-65 lead at the 2:32-minute mark. That was followed by a dazzling dribble into traffic by Gilgeous-Glasgow, who converted a circus layup with a smile on his face, much to the delight of the frenzied, packed crowd at the MAC.

“This win is a good one to start our 2025 campaign,” said Gilgeous-Glasgow. “We knew coming into this game it was going to be a hard-fought win. We executed down the line and played defense. And the scoreboard reflects that.”

UP NEXT: The Bold will host the second game of their back-to-back when they take on the Brock Badgers on January 12th at the MAC. Tip-off is set for