The Varsity Blues men’s basketball chances of getting to the CIS championship became increasingly difficult as the team fell to the host Ottawa Gee-Gees, 96-81, in Saturday’s OUA quarter-final round at Mont Petit Hall in the nation’s capital.

With Gee-Gees all-star guard Josh Gibson-Bascombe (Toronto) on the bench with two early fouls, the Varsity Blues jumped out to a 15-8 advantage and would end the opening quarter with a five-point lead, 24-19.

Ottawa exploded in the second, turning the tides and outscoring the visiting Blues 31-10, and took a 50-34 lead at the half thanks to 14 points and five rebounds from Gibson-Bascombe.

Cold shooting and a technical foul to fourth-year guard Rob Paris (St. Catharines, Ont.) sent Toronto’s wheels spinning in the third quarter as the Gee-Gees opened a 74-47 advantage before settling in for an 80-51 lead.

Despite shooting over 40 per cent as a team and outscoring their opponent, 30-16, in the fourth quarter, the Blues were unable to dig themselves out of the first-half hole they'd dug.

Blues fourth-year forward Ahmed Nazmi (Cairo, EGY) did all he could to get his squad get on track. Nazmi went 6-of-8 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the line to lead Toronto with 17 points.

Nick Snow (London, Ont.) added 12 points and six boards, while Patrick Sewell (London, Ont.) had a team-high seven rebounds.

On the night, Gibson-Bascombe dropped a game-hight 28 points with a team-high nine rebounds, while fourth-year transfer guard Josh Wright (Utica, NY) scored 26 points with six rebounds as the Gee-Gees shot 48.5 per cent from the field.

NOTE: The Gee-Gees ended the Varsity Blues the previous two seasons; two years ago at home Ottawa downed Toronto in a heartbreaking 69-68 decision, followed by a 63-60 loss to the Gee-Gees at U of T’s Athletic Centre in the East semifinal last year.