The Varsity Blues women’s basketball team prevailed 87–56 over Toronto’s in-town rival Ryerson at home on Wednesday. The win followed two disappointing losses for Toronto to Carleton and Ottawa last weekend.

“I think this game didn’t come early enough,” said Blues’ head coach Michele Belanger. “We wanted to try to get ourselves back on that track of winning, because it’s a bit depressing when you lose two in a row.”

The first quarter of Toronto’s victory began with turnovers by both teams. Toronto scored first, Joanna Medri sinking a three-pointer from the intial turnover. The Blues’ offence was strong throughout the quarter, but they were largely unable to make stops at the defensive end, allowing Ryerson to remain competitive. Ryerson’s 55 per cent shooting coupled with foul trouble for Toronto also helped to keep the game close; the score stood at 22–19 for the Blues heading into the second quarter.

Ryerson was unable to maintain their shooting accuracy in the second quarter, but Toronto failed to capitalize. The Toronto defence remained powerful, but the Blues missed many offensive opportunities, shooting just 30 per cent in the period. Toronto still managed to double their lead to six points, however, and they finished the half ahead 34–28.

“[In the first half] we were just staying with [Ryerson], exchanging baskets,” said Blues’ leading scorer Jill Stratton.

Ryerson kicked off the third quarter in style with a three-pointer, and Toronto responded in kind. The Blues were quick to gain momentum; big plays on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court allowed them to overpower Ryerson.

The Blues converted on foul shot opportunities and were on fire offensively, making nearly 60 per cent of their shots in the third. The Rams, by contrast, went cold, and were unable to respond as the Blues outscored the Rams 24 to 11 in the quarter, driving the score up to 58–39 for Toronto.

“The shots didn’t drop in the first half, but we kept saying, ‘just keep shooting, they’re all good shots and eventually they’ll go in,’ and sure enough, they did,” explained Belanger.

Ryerson’s shooting improved in the final quarter, but they were simply unable to keep pace with the powerful Blues. Toronto’s defence in the key remained strong, as they held Ryerson’s Angela Tilk — coming off of two double-doubles in her last four games — to just two field goals. A Blues steal and fast break layup ended the game, as Toronto triumphed 87–56.

“We definitely knew that we needed a win here, and of course [the Rams] are our rivals, so it’s nice to get a win out of that,” said Joanna Medri, the Blues’ player of the game, with 15 points, four assists and four steals in the contest.

After starting the season strong, Toronto has struggled, winning just three of the last six games prior to their win over the Rams. To Jill Stratton, the victory against Ryerson signals a turning point for Toronto as the team learns to play without injured forward Alicia Van Kampen.

“It just took some time to get used to Alicia being out for the season; I think we were adjusting to that,” said Stratton. “Now we’re spreading the floor better because we’re short of big players, so if we just do that we should be fine for the rest of the season.”

Medri believes beating Ryerson will also serve as a confidence booster for the team going into their games this weekend.

“It’s a good thing to go into Laurentian and York with this, and just keep the momentum up.”