The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's basketball team defeated the Laurier Golden Hawks 86-78 in their home opener on Saturday (Oct. 24) night inside Goldring Centre – Kimel Family Field House.
The Blues were a force defensively, forcing the Golden Hawks into seven turnovers early as U of T was able to capitalize with eight quick points in transition. In the second quarter, U of T shot 50 per cent from the field and over 63 per cent from three, taking a 10-point lead into halftime. Laurier came out blazing to begin the second half, shooting over 64 per cent from the field to set the start of a game that would come down to the wire. In the end, U of T dug deep and shot effectively in the final quarter to improve to 2-0 on the season.
Toronto was led by fifth-year centre Nigel Hylton with 19 points, eight rebounds and three assists while shooting over 50 per cent from the field. First-year guard Andrew Dangelas was perfect from the free-throw line and contributed 17 points, six rebounds and two steals. Second-year guard Mikey Ballout added another 16 points, six rebounds and three steals. Third-year guard Michael Reiss rounded out U of T's scoring with 13 points and six rebounds.
For Laurier, Maxwell Voorpool had a game-high 21 points and shot 60 per cent from beyond the three-point line. Isaiah Fisher was also a force with 19 points and Matei Vucenovic had a game-high 13 rebounds.
Up next, the Blues will travel to Hamilton to take on the McMaster Marauders. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m., and will be live streamed on
oua.tv.
