Rob Paris (St. Catharines, Ont.) led all players with 34 points as the University of Toronto Varsity Blues men’s basketball team defeated the Laurier Golden Hawks 80-67 on Friday, November 21 at the WLU Athletic Complex.

Paris led an early offensive charge, garnering 13 points to give the Blues a 22-13 lead after the first quarter. Toronto continued to press in the second, this time led by first-year transfer student Patrick Sewell’s (London, Ont.) nine points, to help the Blues extend their lead to 15 (44-29) at halftime.

The Golden Hawks rallied in the third and outscored the Blues 26-21, yet Toronto still maintained a comfortable 10-point lead going into the final frame. The Blue and White finished what they started, playing solid defence in the final minutes of the game to come away with a convincing 80-67 victory.

Paris shot 72% going seven-for-nine from beyond the arc, while Ahmed Nazmi (Cairo, EGY) and Nick Snow (London, Ont.) each recorded double-doubles. Nazmi tallied 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Snow posted 10 points and 10 rebounds in the Blues victory.

The Varsity Blues visit the Waterloo Warriors tomorrow (Nov. 22) at 8 p.m.