Box Score The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's basketball team faced off against the Nipissing Lakers on Saturday (Oct. 26) night in North Bay, Ont., dropping the road contest by a final score of 73-60.

The game opened with an impressive first quarter performance by the Blues, securing a 20-15 advantage at the end of the opening period. However, the Lakers regrouped and found success in the paint going forward, outrebounding Toronto 13-3 in the second quarter and 43-31 throughout the entirety of the game. Despite holding Nipissing to just 11 points in the third quarter, the strong inside play for the Lakers allowed the home side to pull away courtesy second chance points and points in the paint.

For the Blues, second-year guard Raya Hafez led the way with a game-high 17 points, including shooting 7-for-10 from the free throw line. Meanwhile, first-year guard Lia Barberi's perimeter shooting saw her contribute 13 points, along with adding three steals defensivley. Fifth-year year forward Thuraya Abdul Hamid made all her field goals, finishing with 10 points on 4-for-4 shooting and 2-for-2 from the free throw line.

Sophie Miler tallied a game-high 17 points for Nipissing, adding nine rebounds, two assists, and three steals, while Nicole Budd caused trouble for the Blues finishing the night with six total steals herself.

U of T will look to bounce back as they have their home opener against the TMU Bold next weekend, hosting their rivals for the first match in the newly minted Metro Hoops Classic series. Tip-off at Goldring Centre on Friday, Nov. 1 is set for 6 p.m., with tickets available at varsityblues.ca/tickets and the game also streamed online at oua.tv.