On January 22, the Varsity Blues men’s basketball team faced off against the Laurier Golden Hawks at the Goldring Centre. The Blues secured a convincing 79–69 victory, taking full advantage of the Hawks’ defensive lapses and disorganized offence. 

Centre Lennart Weber and guard Iñaki Alvarez were standout performers, combining for an impressive 54 points and dominating the game.

What happened?

The game started evenly, with Quarry Whyne making an early impact by securing a defensive rebound and sinking in a three-pointer for the game’s first points. The Hawks, however, showcased their strong rebounding throughout the quarter, particularly their seven-foot first-year centre Omar Nur. 

Nur dominated the paint, making things difficult for Weber, who, standing at six feet eight inches, struggled to match up. 

The Blues countered the Hawks’ rebounding dominance with fast, efficient attacks, getting to the basket quickly. Weber led the charge on both offence and defence, helping the Blues secure a 19–16 lead as the quarter came to a close.

The second quarter started slowly for both teams, with the Hawks’ first basket coming in nearly two minutes into the period. Hawks guard Taye Donald began to find his rhythm, hitting a three-pointer and handling the ball with finesse. In response, the Blues tightened their defence, forcing Donald to pass more often. 

However, the Hawks struggled offensively, with their players spread too thin along the perimeter and no one driving into the paint. This caused them to take too long to find a shot, often winding down the shot clock, and falling behind on the scoreboard.

After a slow start, Alvarez picked up midway through the quarter, leading the offence and orchestrating plays. He hit a buzzer-beater three, giving the Blues a 10-point lead at halftime with a score of 44–34.

The Blues continued their dominance in the third quarter, capitalizing on the Hawks’ fouls and converting their free throws. The Blues played with more coordination on offence, running smoother plays that got them to the rim quickly. 

Centre Ryan Rudnick also began to make his presence felt, impacting both ends of the floor. For the Hawks, Donald remained the lone bright spot on offence, taking matters into his own hands through some impressive shots.

The fourth quarter proved no different from the previous three. For most of the quarter, the Blues maintained a double-digit lead. However, with around six minutes remaining, Donald put forth a remarkable effort, hitting back-to-back threes and narrowing the gap to just four points. 

With a well-timed timeout by Blues head coach Madhav Trivedi, the Blues managed to break Donald’s momentum and reestablish a healthy 10-point lead. Alvarez put on a show toward the end of the game, sinking threes with ease and connecting with Weber for some flashy plays. The Blues finished strong, closing the game with a 79–69 victory.

Weber scored a career-high 25 points with a 55.6 shooting percentage, adding 15 rebounds for an impressive double-double. Alvarez posted a season-high 29 points with a 52.6 shooting percentage, along with eight assists. Donald held his own, scoring 22 points on the night. The Blues’ tight defense overall forced the Hawks to shoot just 21.7 per cent from beyond the arc.

What’s next?

The game showcased Weber’s continued dominance in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA), where he ranks first in rebounds per game and total rebounds, averaging a near double-double. 

The Varsity Blues faced McMaster University on January 25 at home, securing an 89–63 victory. This win brought their record up to 6–10, placing them first in the Central Conference in the OUA standings. Their next game is away at the Toronto Metropolitan University on January 29 at 8:00 pm.