The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's basketball team fell 74-53 to the York Lions on Friday (Oct. 23) night inside the Tait Mackenzie Centre.
A young Blues team seeing seven players making their OUA debut in the regular season opener, Toronto were able to get off to a competitive start, keeping the opening quarter close with a three-point deficit of 19-16. However, York were able to extend the lead in the second quarter as a high pressure defence limited Blues scoring opportunities. The Blue and White continued to battle, finding success on the boards and outrebounding the Lions 42-38 throughout the game. The strong effort in the paint allowed U of T to push in the final frame, outscoring York 17-10. Despite the late surge though, Toronto were unable to overcome the early deficit.
All 12 U of T players that touched the floor recorded points in the season opener. Leading the way for the Blue and White was first-year guard Victoria Ford, who finished with a team-high of nine points, shooting nearly 43 per cent from the field. Third-year guard Charlotte Church followed with eight points, including two makes from beyond the arc. First-year forward Quincie Szego made an impact on the boards, collecting a team-high nine rebounds, while fellow first-year forward Chidimma Chukwunyerenwa added eight rebounds of her own.
For the Lions, Chantelle Stuart led the way with a game-high 17 points, adding eight assists and six rebounds. Marley Hayle provided an offensive spark off the bench notching 13 points on 50 per cent shooting.
Up next, the Varsity Blues return home to the Goldring Centre - Kimel Family Field House for their home opener tomorrow (Oct. 24) night against the Laurier Golden Hawks. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m., with tickets available at
varsityblues.ca/tickets. U of T students are free with a valid T-Card. All OUA games are also streamed live and on demand via
oua.tv.
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