Gutsmore’s late-game takeover gets the job done in a narrow victory
The Mattamy Athletic Centre was open late tonight for a showdown between the TMU Bold and the Laurentian Voyageurs with East York Collegiate pupils in the stands.
Second-year guard Kevin Toth opened the scoring with a corner three early in the first quarter, and fifth-year forward Aidan Wilson followed with his first block of the night as TMU tried to set the tone. Wilson dominated the paint with three blocks in the opening 10 minutes, including a highlight rejection midway through the frame.
Offensively, both teams struggled, as Laurentian applied a full-court press from the start. TMU kept the game within a possession until fourth-year guard Favour Ugbah drilled a last-second three to give the Voyageurs an 18-17 lead after one.
In the second quarter, third-year guard Gabriel Gutsmore grabbed his own rebound for a tough putback, forcing a timeout from Laurentian head coach Brandon Edwards. Second-year guard Brice Fandio responded with back-to-back threes to tie the game at 24-24, prompting TMU head coach Dave Deaveiro to call his own timeout to halt the momentum.
The matchup turned into a gritty, early-2000s-style battle, with both teams trading fouls in the paint and missing from deep throughout the quarter.
“They play a lot like Brock [University],” said Deaveiro. “Because of their physicality in half court, we struggled against that style and they’re a hard team to play against.”
TMU couldn’t capitalize on Laurentian’s poor shooting, finishing the half with no bench points and trailing 30-28.
Fifth-year forward Aaron Rhooms, who finished the game with 21 points and 11 rebounds, sparked TMU early in the third with two threes to put the Bold ahead 39-37. Toth added a layup before Fandio stopped the run with another three. Fandio caught fire, scoring 11 points on 80 per cent shooting in the quarter, including a step-back mid-range jumper over Maxime Louis Jean to give Laurentian a three-point lead entering the fourth.
Gutsmore powered through contact for a go-ahead layup with 6:47 remaining as both sides traded baskets. TMU edged ahead thanks to free throws from second-year forward Andrej Silconoks and fourth-year guard Darnaz Mabanza.
Second-year guard Landon Wright knocked down a contested three with 4:55 left. Wright said his team was ready for anything nearing the end of regulation. “We won our last game by more than 30 points, and it gave us momentum coming into a big game. We felt like we were the team to beat heading into overtime.”
With the score tied 60-60, Rhooms missed a potential game-winning three at the buzzer, sending the contest to overtime.
Overtime belonged to Gutsmore. He picked up Fandio full court, stole the ball and drilled a three, then added another on the next possession after a steal and assist from third-year forward Deandre Goulbourne. “When it comes to overtime, it’s about who wants it more,” Gutsmore said. “I felt our team did so I fed off the energy and let the game come to me.”
The Bold closed out the extra period to secure a 72-65 win.
TMU faces the Nipissing Lakers tomorrow at 8 p.m. at the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Trae Davis 