Traveling to Kingston for the first round of the OUA playoffs, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's basketball team upset the No. 10 nationally ranked Queen's Gaels on Wednesday (Feb 18) evening, earning a 99-96 overtime win.
 
The victory marked the first for the Blues over the Gaels since January 2019, and also marks a return for U of T to the OUA quarter-finals last reaching the round of eight in 2023-24.

Entering the playoffs as the 11th seed, the Blues faced a tall task versus the sixth seeded and nationally ranked Gaels. U of T was able to start the game with an efficient offence, shooting over 50 percent from the floor. However, the home side Gaels were able to create second chance scoring with offensive rebounds and applied defensive pressure to create turnovers and pull ahead by 13 points going into the second half.

Undeterred by the deficit, Toronto came out aggressively after the break and outscored the Gaels 20-14 in the third. Chipping away at the Queen's advantage, the Blues also started the fourth strong with a 17-4 run which saw them take the lead. The nationally ranked Gaels were not going down without a fight, and fantastic three-point shooting allowed them to tie the game at 88 apiece at the end of regulation.

Establishing a defensive identity throughout the entirety of the season, Toronto leaned on their strength in the overtime period. This was combined with high-percentage shot attempts at the other end. The Blues would finish overtime shooting 55 percent, while limiting Queen's to just 28 percent. Completely cutting off the second chance scoring with zero offensive rebounding for Queen's, U of T was able to secure the upset victory and advance through to the next round of the OUA playoffs.
 
A complete team effort by Toronto, the Blues saw five players in double-figures. Third-year forward Simeon Jeffers recorded a team-high 22 points and eight rebounds, shooting over 66 percent from the field. Fourth-year centre Nigel Hylton notched a monster 16-rebound and 14-point double-double, adding an additional four assists and a block. First-year guard Mikey Ballout contributed 19 points, including five made three-pointers, while adding nine rebounds and a steal. Finally, second-year guard Michael Reiss notched 15 points, six rebounds, and five assists, leading the Blues bench which contributed 28 points on the night.

The Gaels leaned on the duo of Ollie Engen and Noah Khaja who finished with 25 and 23 points, respectively. This included a 6-for-11 shooting night for Khaja from behind the three-point arc, which allowed the Gaels to extend the game into overtime.
 
Up next, the Blues travel to London to face-off against the No. 9 nationally ranked and third seed Western Mustangs in an OUA quarter-final contest. The Wilson Cup playoff game on Saturday (Feb. 21) will see tip-off at 2 p.m. The game will be available to stream on OUA.tv.