Box Score The No. 9 Varsity Blues women’s basketball team handily defeated the York Lions 87-54 on Friday night (Jan. 14) at Tait McKenzie Centre.

With the win, the Varsity Blues improve to 8-4 and remain in second place, while the Lions drop to 5-7 on the season and sit in fourth in the OUA East.

The Varsity Blues controlled the floor for most of the first quarter, but the Lions pulled to within striking distance late in the frame. A three-pointer from Kayla Pangos (Holland Landing, Ont.) in the dying seconds cut the Varsity Blues lead to just 19-17 heading into the second.

The Lions tied the game in the opening seconds of the second quarter at 19-19, but the Blues took over from there. The Varsity Blues overpowered the Lions in the paint all quarter, pulling down several offensive rebounds and converting those boards into points.

The Varsity Blues dominance was highlighted by a sequence late in the quarter when second-year guard Katelyn McConnell (Whitby, Ont.) pulled down an offensive rebound and drained an uncontested layup. U of T went into halftime with a 36-27 lead.

Toronto continued to build their lead, draining baskets at a torrid pace in the third to build a 22-point lead heading into the fourth.

The Blues continued to outscore the Lions in the fourth, led by an eight-point performance by veteran guard Erin McNeely, and cruised to the 33-point victory.

McNeely recorded a game-high 17 points on the night, while both Nicki Schutz and Alicia Van Kampen had 12 points each. Joanna Medri and Julie Longauer also hit double digits with 10 points apiece.

The Varsity Blues return to the floor tomorrow night when they travel to Sudbury, Ont., to take on the Laurentian Lady-Vees. Tip off is scheduled for 6 p.m. and the game will be webcast through SSN Canada.

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