Box Score Arun Kumar tallied a season-high 22 points as the Varsity Blues men’s basketball team snapped a five-game losing streak with an 82-78 victory over the Queen’s Gaels on Friday, January 27 at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym.
The win lifts Blues to a 6-10 record as they remain in fifth place in the OUA East division.
A native of Hamilton, Ont., Kumar was 8-of-16 from the floor, including a six three pointers. Fifth-year forward and Burnaby, B.C., native Andrew Wasik recorded a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds, while veteran guard Justin Holmes (Toronto) had 10 points in the win.
“It was a good fight to the end and a great job on the offensive glass,” said Varsity Blues associate head coach Rick Dilena. “Making shots definitely helped but you’ve got to give kudos to Queen’s for fighting until the end.”
The play went back-and-forth in the first half with six lead changes over 20 minutes of action. The Gaels led the Blues 20-19 after the first quarter; however, U of T bounced back to take a five-point lead (40-35) into the locker room at halftime.
Toronto outscored Queen’s 27-20 and held at least a 10-point lead in the latter half of the third quarter. The Gaels fought back late in the fourth with a 10-2 run in the last three minutes but it was too little, too late as the Blues held on for the win.
MacKenzie Simpson led the Gaels with 19 points and nine rebounds with fellow Ottawa native Nikola Mislgencevic adding 15 points in the loss.
The Varsity Blues return to the floor tomorrow night as they host the RMC Paladins at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym. Game time is set for 8 p.m.
GAME NOTES:
The Varsity Blues honoured long-time Ryerson Rams women’s basketball head coach Sandy Pothier, who lost her battle with cancer this past weekend, in a pre-game ceremony.
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