The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's basketball team hosted the Laurier Golden Hawks at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport on Wednesday (Jan. 22) night, starting the week strong with a 79-69 win.
 
The Blues seized the lead and held firm following the five minute mark of the second quarter, never looking back. Toronto utilized their offensive rebounding, beating the Golden Hawks 16-9, resulting in 18 second-chance points. U of T displayed intense defensive tenacity throughout the entirety of the game, limiting Laurier to shooting just 21.7 percent from three-point range, while also notching five blocks and five steals throughout the four quarters.The Blues built their largest lead of 13 points late in the fourth quarter, closing the door on any chances of a Laurier comeback effort.
 
Toronto was led by fourth-year point-guard Inaki Alvarez and fourth-year centre Lennart Weber. Alvarez scored a game and season-high 29 points, adding eight assists, three blocks, and two rebounds, all while shooting 52.6 percent from the field. Meanwhile, Weber notched a new career-high with 25 points on 55.6 percent shooting from the field. He made it a double-double with 15 rebounds, including four offensive boards.
 
For the Golden Hawks, Taye Donald and Aidan Whalen led the way, registering 22 and 12 points, respectively. 

Up next, the Blues host the McMaster Marauders at home on Saturday (Jan 25) with tip-off set for 8 p.m. The game will be streamed via oua.tv, with tickets available to purchase at varsityblues.ca/tickets.