Box Score Toronto - It took a total team effort as the Varsity Blues squeaked out a 93-90 overtime win over the visiting McMaster Marauders at University of Toronto’s Athletic Centre Sports Gym on Saturday night.
Despite going 1-for-6 from the free-throw line in the overtime period, the Blues scratched and clawed their way to victory. Toronto native Anthony De Giorgio nailed two three-pointers early in extra time and Andrew Wasik knocked down the team’s final three points as they held on for the nail-biting win.
On the night, Toronto shot 47% from the floor and an impressive 48% from beyond the arc, while five Toronto players hit double figures.
Veterans Drazen Glisic (Sarajevo, BIH) and De Giorgio led the way with 17 points each, Justin Holmes and Ben Garvin knocked down 12 and 10, respectively, and Wasik of Burnaby, B.C. notched his first double-double of the season with 15 points and a game-high 11 boards.
McMaster’s Victor Razo led all scorers with 25 points and collected seven rebounds. Taylor Black, Cam Michaud and Kenan Etale each contributed significant numbers, scoring 17, 16 and 10 points respectively.
The Blues got out of the gates early in this contest and were up by as many as 17 late in the first quarter. They put up 34 points in the first 10 minutes of action thanks in large part to six buckets from beyond the arc.
It was much of the same in the second which put Toronto clearly in the driver’s seat. They finished a strong first half with a solid shooting performance and a 12-point cushion (52-40).
However, things unravelled for the Blues in the third. Plague by turnovers and poor shot selection, the Marauders took advantage of those mistakes and then executed well at their end of the court, outscoring their host 24-10 in the quarter to take a slight two-point lead into the final frame.
Down four with three minutes remaining, the Blues veterans stepped up and made the final push. Holmes (Toronto) drained one of his four three-pointers with two minutes to go to put the Blues up by one. Wasik then went 1-of-2 from the free throw line to make it a two-point game before Michaud nailed a crucial jumper for Mac to send the game to overtime.
