The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's basketball team defeated the No. 6 nationally ranked Laurier Golden Hawks 77-75 on Friday (Feb. 16) night in Waterloo, Ont.

The Blues have been sensational down the stretch, winning five of their last six games, now including wins over No. 6 Laurier and No. 1 Ottawa. In the Friday night showdown, the Blues took the lead for good after just one minute of play, never looking back as they clamped down the typically explosive Laurier offence. Toronto dominated on the boards, out-rebounding the home side 41-26, while also disrupting the Golden Hawks three-point shooting with hard pressure at the three-point line. The confidence to rush out was backed up by great defensive rotations which saw Toronto register six total blocks in the win.

Showcasing the great defensive performance of the Blues, fourth-year forward Anthony Daud tallied four blocks and two steals, in addition to a double-double on the night with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Fellow veteran forward Somachi Agbapu added two blocks and seven rebounds, while each of the Blues starting five had at least one steal, defensively.

Meanwhile, the Blues offence was once again powered by fifth-year guard Callum Baker who finished with a game-high 23 points. Second-year wing Noah Ngamba chipped in with 16, while fifth-year wing Dane Quest added 13 points in 24 minutes of action off the bench.

Laurier standout Taye Donald registered a team-high 21 points in the loss for the Golden Hawks.

With just one game remaining in the OUA regular season, the Blues hold playoff seeding in their own hands as they currently sit in first place in the OUA Central division. A win in tomorrow's regular season finale would secure the top spot and a first round playoff bye as the top team in the division.

Toronto and the Waterloo Warriors tip-off in the critical regular season finale on Saturday (Feb. 17) night at 8 p.m. in Waterloo. All the action can be caught on oua.tv.