In their first contest this weekend, the Varsity Blues men’s basketball struggled in the second half and ultimately fell 84-74 to the Laurentian Voyageurs in Sudbury on Friday, Jan. 22.
The Blues fall below the 500 mark for the first time this season (6-7), while the Voyageurs’ record is now 5-8 as they fight the Ryerson Rams for fifth place in the conference.
Toronto senior guard Nick Magalas continues his stellar play. The Burlington native was named the Varsity Blues and OUA athlete of the week (Jan. 11-17) after two spectacular performances, including a 33-point performance in which he recorded his 1000th career point against the No. 2 Ravens.
Magalas led the team once again versus Laurentian, tallying a game-high 24 points and seven assists. He also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds in the loss.
Ignited by two Magalas three-pointers with just over four minutes left in the first quarter, Toronto went on a 10-0 run to take an 18-11 lead late and would close out the opening 10 minutes with a 20-13 advantage.
Laurentian bounced back to win the second quarter, however, the Blues managed to hold on to a slight one-point lead, 37-36, heading into the halftime break.
The second half would be a different story for the Blues and the wheels would come off. Toronto didn’t score a point until 4:26 of the third quarter when Junior Toby (Pickering, Ont.) knocked down a jumper.
The home team however, scored big and scored often. The Voyageurs, led by leading scorer Paul Kovacs, led by as many as 16 at one point as they went on to outscore the Blues 31-18 in the opening 10 minutes of the second half.
The Blues got to within nine points in the final frame but it wouldn’t be enough, ultimately falling 84-74.
Varsity’s third forward Drazen Glisic (Sarajevo, BIH) added 14 points and six rebounds for the visitors. Burnaby, B.C. native Andrew Wasik was 4-of-5 from the floor, tallying nine points and hauled in four boards.
Kovacs (Barrie, Ont.) led Laurentian with 23 points in the win, while two other Voyageurs hit double digits. Manny Pasquale and Isiah Pasquale of Victoria, B.C. had 20 and 19 points, respectively.
Toronto is back on the court today, facing their cross-town rivals York Lions at the Tait McKenzie Centre. Tip off is scheduled for 8 p.m.
For more information, scores and highlights on your favourite Toronto teams, please visit the home of the Varsity Blues at http://www.varsityblues.ca.
