Box Score The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's basketball team dropped a 78-36 decision to the No. 4 nationally ranked Ryerson Rams in their 2015-16 season opener Wednesday night (Nov. 4) at Mattamy Athletic Centre.

Third-year forward Emily Piccini led the Blues with nine points and four rebounds, while sophomore Jay Gaunt had seven points and four boards.

Team co-captains Abena Addo and Alanna Garner added four points apiece, with Garner notching a team-high seven rebounds in the loss.

A tough first quarter saw Toronto trailing the host Rams 21-6 after 10 minutes of action. The Blues rallied though, led by a seven-point second quarter from Piccini, and kept even with Ryerson (12-12) throughout the second frame.

Ryerson was up 33-18 at halftime.

The Rams opened the third quarter on a 12-3 run and the Blues were unable to cut the deficit after that.

Toronto struggled from the free throw line, going 7-for-27 from the line, while also shooting 1-of-25 from beyond the arc.

Ryerson's Keneca Pingue-Giles led all players with 17 points, with Sofia Paska adding a double-double of 13 points and 14 boards in the victory.

The Varsity Blues are back in action next Wednesday, November 11 when they host the Waterloo Warriors in their 2015 home opener at Godlring Centre for High Performance Sport. Advance tickets are on sale at varsityblues.ca/tickets. Tip off is scheduled for 6 p.m.

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