The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's basketball team defeated the No. 1 nationally ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees 76-70 on Saturday (Feb. 10) night in Ottawa.

The Blues become just the second team to defeat the top team in the country, with the Gee-Gees last loss coming a full month ago versus the Queen's Gaels. The crucial late season win also lifts Toronto (12-7) one-game ahead of both McMaster (11-8) and TMU (11-8) in a very tight race for the top seed in the OUA Central division.

In the Saturday night showdown in the nation's capital, Toronto fell behind by as much as 19 points in the first quarter, presenting what could have been a blowout loss after just five minutes. However, the Blues responded with an exceptional defensive effort holding Ottawa to less than 15 points in each of the next two quarters. This great work on the defensive end combined with an efficient offence, which saw Toronto finish the game shooting over 42 percent from the field, allowed for the Blues to not only close the gap, but take a five point lead into the final frame. From there U of T remained committed to contesting every three-point attempt from the Gee-Gees who put up a total of 40 three-point field goals in the game, but finished with only eight three-point field goals made.

Toronto's scoring once again came via OUA scoring leader Callum Baker. The fifth-year guard finished the win with a game-high 26 points, including an acrobatic lay-in with under 60 seconds remaining to help ice the game. Winning the battle on the boards, fourth-year forward Anthony Daudu pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds while adding 14 points for the double-double. Both fifth-year forward Somachi Agbapu and fifth-year wing Dane Quest added seven rebounds apiece, while Quest provided an exceptional scoring boost from the bench with 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Forwards Tomi Johnson and Ryan Rudnick also chipped in defensively with their size creating trouble for the Gee-Gees in the paint.

With all but one starter held under 10 points for the No. 1 Gee-Gees in the loss, Ottawa's primary scoring came off the bench as Khalifa Koulamallah tallied a team-high 22 points in 27 minutes.

The Blues will finish out the regular season next weekend with two more critical road games. Action will begin versus the Laurier Golden Hawks on Friday (Feb. 16), to be followed the next night (Feb. 17) against the Waterloo Warriors. Both games in Waterloo are scheduled for 8 p.m. tip-off times. Games can be streamed online at oua.tv.