The University of Toronto Varsity Blues women’s basketball team took on the University of Windsor Lancers in their home opener on Remembrance Day and managed to escape with a victory, despite almost blowing their lead in the middle of the second half.

This is a relatively new team comprising mainly rookies. Coach Michele Belanger said the team had been working hard during practices at “running the ball more and being more forceful on the defence.”

Their hard work seemed to have paid off. They won their opening game on the road against Ryerson 73-55 with veteran Christine Cho racking up 16 points for the Blues.

Next up was the Lancers at the Athletic Centre. Coming into the Windsor game, U of T was already 1-0, whereas Windsor had dropped games to Western and Laurier, respectively.

In the first half, the Blues were obviously putting the skills they had practiced into play. They played an extremely aggressive defensive game and a solid offensive one. First-year guard Malissa Lundgren continued to play well in the game against Ryerson, scoring five points and intercepting the ball a number of times.

The Blues really stepped up their game with about five minutes remaining before the break, and finished the first half leading 45-29 over Windsor.

Windsor used their break to recuperate and stormed their way back into the match in the second half. They scored 19 points in just under eight minutes and were one point away from tying the game. The Blues didn’t look like they were getting tired, but the game got increasingly physical with numerous players falling and many fouls being called.

Acknowledging the threat that Windsor was posing, the veteran Blues answered. Cho, Kaila MacAlpine, and Ashley Keohan passed the ball swiftly and netted five points in less than a minute.

By the end of the game the Blues had regained their lead and beaten the Lancers 77-63.

In addition to the aforementioned team members, Alaine Hutton is definitely a player to watch. A first-year guard from Hamilton, Hutton netted a number of free throws throughout the game. Fast on her feet, she also had some beautiful breakaways and steals.

Hutton had the highest point total among the Blues in the home opener, scoring 15.

Equally impressive was second-year FPEH student Ilana Weissberger. Also a guard, Weissberger was quick and aggressive, racking up 12 points by the time the final buzzer sounded.

The Blues kept the winning going on Saturday with a 63-54 triumph over Western at the AC. Cho scored 14 points in the win, while Kaila Macalpine chipped in ten of her own for U of T. Paula Romkey was the leading scorer for the Mustangs, netting 12 points on the night.

With three wins in a row and plenty of fresh talent, the Blues look like they could dominate the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) this year. Next weekend they will play both Brock and Guelph on the road.

The next home game for the women’s basketball team is against York on November 25.