The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's basketball team opened the second half of their season against the York Lions on Friday (Jan 9) evening, ending with a 58-54 loss inside the Goldring Centre - Kimel Family Field House.
 
The Blues stifling defence caused chaos for the Lions, forcing seven early turnovers and holding York to just 30 per cent from the field. Toronto complemented their defence with strong shooting— shooting 66 percent from three. Despite their opening, the Blues costly turnovers and poor shooting in the second quarter led to a nine-point deficit going into the half. Undettered, U of T once again turned to their defensive effort, grabbing nine steals and going on a 10-0 run to tie the game heading into the fourth. Back-and-forth throughout the fourth quarter, the game came down to the final seconds where the Lions were able to make timely free throws to ultimately claim the road win.
 
A highlight for the Blues in the first home game of 2026, veteran guard Faith Joseph tied a U of T single game record with nine steals. Joseph joins Varsity Blues women's basketball alumna Laura Verbeeten atop the U of T record book as she also registered a nine steal effort versus Ottawa on Nov. 20, 1998. In addition to her defensive highlights, Joseph also added eight points and six rebounds to round out her stat line for the night.

Fourth-year forward Janet Enge notched a game-high 16 points for the Blues, along with five rebounds and three steals, while third-year guard Diana Comsa also added 15 points, seven rebounds and five steals.
 
For the Lions, bench scoring paid dividends led by a team-high 15 points from Alexis Grewal.
 
Up next, the Blues travel to Ottawa for a two-game road trip, opening with a match-up against the Carleton Ravens on Friday (Jan 16). Tip-off set for 6 p.m. with the game streamed on oua.tv.