Box Score The Varsity Blues men’s basketball team fell 77-76 to the Queen’s Gaels at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym Saturday evening.

The game ended in dramatic fashion with Toronto falling one point short of an incredible comeback. The Blues had been down by as many as nine in the final frame after already rebounding from an 18-point deficit in the third quarter.

Two Varsity Blues players had career nights with third-year guard Alex Hill eclipsing the 1,000-point mark in his U of T career midway through the third quarter on a layup. Dylan Churchill (Ottawa, Ont.) also posted a career-high 20 points, including 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc.

The Gaels had four players in double figures including guard Sukpreet Singh (Toronto, Ont.) who had a game-high 23 points and seven assists. Guards Ryan Golden (Barrie, Ont.) and Roshane Roberts (Vaughan) also had 16 and 13 points each in the win.

The final quarter was up and down on both sides as Queen’s opened with a 13-7 run, extending their lead to as many as nine. The Blues would storm back once again with Hill leading the charge. The veteran guard cut the lead to 77-74 after three straight points and starting a fast-break that led to two made free throws for the Blues, bringing them to within one with fewer than 30 seconds to play.

The game started with the Varsity Blues building a lead as large as six late in the first quarter. Thanks to seven points in the opening frame from Churchill Toronto would hold an 18-14 edge after one.

In the second the teams would trade off streaks to start and end the frame. Arun Kumar (Hamilton, Ont.) helped build the lead to 12 with three triples and poured in 14 total points in the quarter. However, after the Blues went up 32-20 the Gaels responded with a 23-8 run. Singh put up eight points in the rally, and Golden added in six of his own as Queen’s  completed the comeback to take a 43-40 lead at the half.

Turnovers and cold shooting plagued the Blues to start the third quarter as Queen’s quickly pushed their lead to double figures. The Gaels would be on top by as many as 18 thanks to more stellar play by Singh, who shot 57 per cent from the floor on the night. Churchill would lead a rally with a shot from downtown followed by a steal for a quick layup and starting a fast-break after a defensive stop. Toronto narrowed the gap back down to 62-59 as the quarter came to a close.

The Varsity Blues (2-12) next game action will come on Friday, February 1 when they welcome Laurentian (8-7) for an 8 p.m. start.

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