The Varsity Blues men’s basketball team defeated the Shippensburg Raiders 76-71 in pre-season action on Sunday, October 14 at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym.
 
Four Varsity Blues reached double digits on the day. Fifth-year guard Arun Kumar (Hamilton, Ont.) went 5-for-9 from beyond the arc, tallying a team-high 21 points, while also adding four assists and four steals.
 
Alex Hill (Toronto) notched 12 points, while Ben Garvin (Holland Landing, Ont.) had 11.  Third-year guard Dylan Churchill recorded 10 points, with Dakota Laurin leading all players with 11 boards in the win.
 
After a 13-13 first quarter, the Blues dominated the second quarter to take an eight-point lead (33-25) into halftime.  The Raiders battled back in the third with 28 points and held a narrow 53-50 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
 
The fourth proved to be a back-and-forth battle but a Garvin three-pointer with 46 seconds remaining would give the Blues edge to secure the win.
 
Shippensburg was led by Reggie Charles’ 29 points, while Dylan Edgar had a double-double of 22 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
 
The Varsity Blues return to action next weekend as they head to Quebec for the Laval Tournament (Oct. 19-21), where they will play the UNB Varsity Reds, Laval Rouge et Ore and UPEI Panthers. 

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