Hosting a pair this weekend, Men’s Basketball (2-2) will try to regroup after dropping their last two games. U of T is tied for third in the Ontario University Athletic East division, and will face Brock (2-1) Friday before their match-up against Guelph (1-3) Saturday.
Before this past weekend, the Blues were ranked ninth in the country. But after Western Ontario defeated the Blues 78-64 Friday, and Windsor came from behind to squeak out a 75-74 win Saturday, U of T will have to re-establish their winning ways to find themselves in the top ten again.
Their ranking may have been inflated due to the Blues dumping the defending OUA-champion McMaster 92-58 here last Sunday. Led by Dwayne Grant and Rob Paris’s 18 point efforts, U of T shot 60 per cent from the field, while dismantling the Marauders defensively, holding them to 36 per cent. Coupled with their 79-56 win over Lakehead on Nov. 10, the Blues had surged to the top of the OUA.
-CHRISTOPHE POIRIER
OUA’s top teams ahead for Women’s Basketball
With league-leading Brock (5-1) and third-place Guelph (3-2) on tap for U of T (3-2) this weekend, the Blues face an early season challenge on the road. U of T will need to adapt to each team’s separate style.
Brock plays a strong game in the paint, and is led by forward Milaina Lagzdins. She averages just under thirteen points a game for the Badgers, and leads the league with 9.6 rebounds over 40 minutes.
When matching up against Guelph, the Blues will have to watch the perimeter, as guards Heather Angus and Kris Yallin are the team’s top two scorers, averaging a combined 25 points for the Gryphons.
While the Blues will have to be flexible this weekend, this past one had U of T on an even keel. Hosting two, U of T notched an 85-72 victory over Windsor Saturday, hours after Western defeated the Blues 79-69 Friday.
The Blues opened the season with wins at Ryerson 79-39 on Nov. 4 and hosting Lakehead 73-56 on Nov. 10 before McMaster pinned a 85-69 loss on U of T last Sunday.
-C.P.
