Box Score The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's basketball team dropped a narrow 87-79 decision to the No. 1 nationally ranked McMaster Marauders on Saturday, November 14 in Hamilton, Ont.

"We had a much higher compete level by all," said Varsity Blues head coach Michèle Bélanger.  "We had outstanding minutes but did not get lucky with the foul count. We forced great turnovers, made great shots and had a great team effort. I'm happy with the progress and our process but a win was in our control."

Toronto's trifecta of third-year standouts led the squad, all with career-high performances on the night.

Third-year guard Rahshida Atkinson topped the Blues with a career-high 21 points, four assists and two steals, while forward Emily Piccini had a career-best 18 points and six rebounds. Diedre Edwards added a career-high 17 points, six rebounds and a team-high six assists.

Team co-captain Abena Addo tallied nine points, while rookie Sarah Bennett had eight points and five rebounds in the loss.

U of T shot 50% from the floor, 41.7% from beyond the arc and 66.7% from the free throw line.

Linnaea Harper led all players with 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Marauders, while Danielle Boiago had 19 points. Both Rachael Holmes and Hilary Hanaka recorded 15 points in the win.

The Varsity Blues return to action next Saturday, November 21 when they travel to Windsor to take on the No. 8 Windsor Lancers. Game time is set for 2 p.m.

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