The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's basketball team defeated the visiting Harvard University Crimson by a final score of 68-65 on Friday night at the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport.

In front of a packed crowd of 1,582 at the Kimel Family Field House, the Varsity Blues produced a dramatic finish as U of T guard Nadav Sahar nailed a game-clinching three as time expired.

Following a slow first quarter for both teams, second-year Blues forward Ryan Rudnick established himself as a threat from behind the three-point line hitting back-to-back deep shots. The second-quarter burst allowed Toronto to close the gap entering halftime trailing Harvard 32-28.

Returning to the court for the second half, the momentum remained with Toronto as the team collectively made five three-pointers in the frame to propel the Blue and White into the lead ahead of the fourth quarter.

With Harvard ramping up the defense in the final frame, both teams went back-and-forth until the decisive last second field goal from Sahar sealed the victory for the home side.

Both Rudnick and Toronto fourth-year guard Callum Baker tied with a game-high 19 points, combinng for eight of the Blues 13 three-point field goals on the night. Sahar and veteran forward Anthony Daudu added nine points piece, with Daudu also chipping in with six offensive rebounds.

The Crimson were led by a game-high 19 points from Chisom Okpara, who proved especially critical for Harvard in their fourth quarter push. Both Tyler Simon and Evan Nelson registered double-digit points for the Crimson, tallying 16 and 10 respectively.

The Varsity Blues will continue their preseason schedule next hosting the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre on Thursday, Sept. 28. Tip-off for the off-campus showdown is scheduled for 7 p.m.