The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's basketball team opened their weekend home-and-home series versus the York Lions with a convincing 85-71 victory at the Tait Mackenzie Centre on Friday (Nov. 24) afternoon.

Showcasing outstanding pace of play throughout the four quarters, the Blues proved to be especially impressive in the second and fourth as their defensive speed held York to just 11 and 13 points in each of the frames. Meanwhile, the transition offence from the strong defensive periods resulted in 26 total points off turnovers for U of T, while also forcing the Lions into foul trouble as the home side conceded 28 total free throw attempts to the Blues.

A complete team effort, U of T saw 10 players score in the win, while six players reached double-digit scoring. Pacing the Blues offence once again was current OUA leading scorer Callum Baker who finished the win with 16 points, while also securing eight rebounds and two steals. The forward duo of Lennart Weber and Ryan Rudnick added 12 points apiece, with the latter securing his total from a perfect 4-for-4 shooting night from behind the three-point line. Aleer Aleer-Leek, Nadav Sahar, and Noah Ngamba rounded out the double-digit scorers for Toronto, each registering 10 points in the win.

The combo of Sahar and Ngamba also proved to be key parts of the Blues stellar defence. Hounding the Lions quick shooting guards during the crucial periods of the game, Sahar finished the game with four steals, while Ngamba secured three more.

Leading the Lions in the game, former Varsity Blue Evan Shadkami tallied a game-high 21 points in 37 minutes of action.

The Blues now return home to the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport where they will challenge the Lions tomorrow (Nov. 25) afternoon in the second of back-to-back games. Tip-off for the home contest is scheduled for 2 p.m., while tickets are available at varsityblues.ca/tickets. The game will also be available online at oua.tv.