The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's basketball team fell 88-82 to the UNB Reds in an exhibition game on Friday (Oct. 9) night inside Goldring Centre – Kimel Family Field House.
After falling behind in the first quarter, U of T fought back on every possession to either tie of outscore the Reds in the remaining three quarters. Toronto cut New Brunswick's lead to two points with an offensive rebound putback by fourth-year forward Lucas Prekovic but were ultimately unable to squash the deficit.
Prekovic lead the way offensively for the Blue and White, scoring 20 points with nine rebounds and shot 50 per cent from the field. Four other Blues hit the double-digit point plateau. Second-year guard Mikey Ballout notched 18 points while shooting 50 per cent from the field. Meanwhile, fifth-year centre Nigel Hylton had 12 points and six rebounds, first-year goard Andrew Dangelas had 14 points and three steals and fourth-year forward Simeon Jeffers put forth 13 points.
The Reds were led by Marcus Barnes with 36 points and four assists. Isaiah Olunloyo recorded 18 points on 77 per cent shooting from the field.
The preseason continues for Toronto with their focus turning to the Queen's Preseason Tournament from Oct. 15-16 in Kingston. Action begins on Thursday (Oct. 15) afternoon when they take on the Queen's Gaels at 3 p.m., followed by a 1 p.m., tip-off versus the Université du Quebec a Montreal Citadins.
