The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men’s basketball team exploded for 29 third-quarter points and went on to beat the York Lions, 77-58, on Friday, Feb. 12 at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym.

The Blues (9-10) remain tied with the Ryerson Rams for fourth place in the OUA East standings. The Rams downed the Laurentian Voyageurs this evening, 82-72. Toronto and Ryerson meet Feb. 17 and 20 in a home-and-home series, which will ultimately decide who hosts the first round of the OUA playoffs.

Nick Magalas had a game-high 20 points and led the Blue and White with 13 points in the decisive third quarter. The fifth-year guard also led both team with seven assists. Blues player of the game, Ben Garvin, came off the bench to score a season-high 15 points, 11 of which came in the second half of the contest.

Varsity jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter thanks in large part to Andrew Wasik’s hustle and touch around the basket. The Burnaby, B.C. native knocked down seven points on 3-of-4 shooting, hauled in four rebounds and had one steal in the first 10 minutes.

York kept the game within reach in the second as David Tyndale and Rene-Pierre Mathieu combined for 10 of the Lions 14 second-quarter points, however, Toronto outscored their opponents 15-14 and held a comfortable 32-21 advantage at the halfway point.

Magalas of Burlington, Ont. got down to business in the third frame, connecting on 5-of-6 of his shots and was 1-of-2 from beyond the arc. As a team, the Blues shot 67 percent from the floor on 12-of-18 shooting and were 43 percent from three-point land.

The Lions, on the other hand, were tamed in that pivotal quarter – York was 6-of-13 from the floor but only 1-of-5 from beyond the three-point line. They went on to win the fourth and final frame, 18-16, but it was simply not enough on this night.

Wasik finished with 13 points and a team-high nine rebounds, while third-year forward Drazen Glisic of Sarajevo, BIH added eight points and six boards.

Tyndale (Mississauga, Ont.) led York with 19 points and four assists, while Mathieu and Ostap Choliy of Oakville, Ont. added nine points. Dejan Kravic (London, Ont.) had a game-high 11 rebounds in the loss.

The Varsity Blues are back at home tomorrow night when they face the Laurentian Voyageurs in a key divisional match-up. Game time is scheduled for 8 p.m. in the Sports Gym.

For more information, scores and highlights on your favourite Toronto teams, please visit the home of the Varsity Blues at http://www.varsityblues.ca.