Varsity
Blues Women's Basketball
SUMMARY
OF 2007-08 SEASON
Preseason Games
Fri.Oct.12 UofManitoba Tourn vs. Simon Fraser
8:00pm 51-69 L 0-1
Sat.Oct.13 UofManitoba Tourn vs. Manitoba 6:15pm
82-92 (OT) L 0-2
Sun.Oct.14 UofManitoba Tourn vs.Concordia 3:00pm
70-84 L 0-3
Fri.Oct.19 UofT vs. Acadia 6:00pm 66-58 W 1-3
Sat.Oct.20 UofT vs. McGill 3:30pm 64-66 L 1-4
Sun.Oct.21 UofT vs. Victoria noon 68-62 W 2-4
Fri.Oct.26 Laval Inv Tourn vs.Laurentian 2:00pm 61-56
W 3-4
Sat.Oct.27 Laval Inv Tourn vs. Concordia 2:00pm
58-52 W 4-4
Sun. Oct. 28 Laval Inv Tourn vs. Laval noon 64-78
L 4-5
LEAGUE GAMES
Fri.Nov.2 @ Ryerson 6:00pm 73-46 W 1-0
Tues.Nov.6 vs. Ryerson 6:00pm 86-67 W 2-0
Fri.Nov.9 vs. Waterloo 6:00pm 75-51 W 3-0
Sat.Nov.10 vs. Laurier 6:00pm 78-69 W 4-0
Fri.Nov.16 @ Lakehead 6:00pm 74-65(OT) W 5-0
Sat.Nov.17 @ McMaster 6:00pm 58-66 L 5-1
Fri.Nov.23 @ Guelph 6:00pm 67-54 W 6-1
Sat.Nov.24 @ Brock 2:00pm 91-97(2OT) L 6-2
Fri.Nov.30 vs. Western 6:00pm 75-85 L 6-3
Sat.Dec.1 vs. Windsor 6:00pm 73-65 W 7-3
Exhibition Games
Fri.Dec.28 UofSask Inv Tourn vs. Regina 4:00pm
64-67 L 4-6
Sat.Dec.29 UofSask Inv Tourn vs. Saskatchewan
6:00pm 90-102(DOT) L 4-7
Sun.Dec.30 UofSask Inv Tourn vs. Alberta 10:00am
63-75 L 4-8
LEAGUE GAMES
Fri.Jan.4 @ Queens 6:00pm 74-65 W 8-3
Sat.Jan.5 @ RMC 6:00pm 80-46 W 9-3
Fri. Jan.11 vs. Carleton 6:00pm 55-39 W 10-3
Sat.Jan.12 vs. Ottawa 6:00pm 89-48 W 11-3
Fri.Jan.18 vs. RMC 6:00pm 67-25 W 12-3
Sat.Jan.19 vs. Queens 6:00pm 71-56 W 13-3
Fri.Jan.25 @ Laurentian 6:00pm 79-74 W 14-3
Sat.Jan.26 @ York 6:00pm 70-73 L 14-4
Fri.Feb.1 @ Carleton 6:00pm 71-69 W 15-4
Sat.Feb.2 @ Ottawa 6:00pm 77-52 W 16-4
Fri.Feb.8 vs. York 6:00pm 79-68 W 17-4
Sat.Feb.9 Senior Night Vs. Laurentian 6:00pm 70-69
W 18-4
*PLAYOFFS
Sat. Feb.16 East Quarter Final (BYE for UofT)
Wed.Feb.20, 7:00pm East Semi-Final @ UofT Blues vs Carleton
(64-61 W)
Sun.Feb.24, 1:00pm East Championship @ UofT Blues vs
York (99-91 OT W)
Sat.Mar.1, 5:00pm OUA Final @ UofT Blues vs McMaster
(59-69 L)
NATIONALS AT SASKATOON
Fri.Mar.7 UofT vs UBC (59-74 L)
Sat.Mar.8 UofT vs Saskatchewan (70-74 L)
Season
Ends with a Second Close Loss at Nationals (Mar 8)
On Saturday the Blues took on the home team in a Consolation
Semi-Final. Again Toronto had a good start jumping out
to a 6-0 lead, carrying a 19-18 lead into the first
break and maintaining the 1 point advantage at the half,
with a 35-34 lead. But the tide started to change in
the 3rd quarter as the Huskies used a 19-15 period to
take a 3 point lead. Coming down the homestretch the
Blues were down by 8 but two quick 3's by Christine
Cho put Toronto within reach again and the
teams went into the last minute with Saskatchewan hanging
on to a 2 point lead. The Blues were unable to pull
off another come-from-behind win as the Huskies moved
on to the Consolation Final with a 74-70 victory.
Alaine Hutton led the Blues with 25
points and 8 steals with Kyla Burwash
adding 11 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Christine
Cho finished her stellar career with 12 points
and 5 boards.
BLUES
CRASH IN 4th QUARTER AT NATIONALS (Mar 7)
It was the Varsity Blues first trip to the Nationals
since '02. The 7th seeded Blues took on the #2 Ranked
Thunderbirds from UBC. For 3 quarters the Blues played
close as the score was tied at 48 with less than a minute
to go in the third. Then Toronto hit a wall scoring
just 11 points in the final frame to fall 74-59 to the
Thunderbirds.
Christine Cho led the Blues with 16
points and 7 rebounds while Alaine
Hutton had 12 points and 3 assists.
Although the Blues shot 87% from the foul line and had
more shots than UBC, their 35% shooting from the field
compared to UBCs 51% was the difference.
Saturday, Toronto will take on the home University of
Saskatchewan team in a Consolation game at 3:00pm.
BLUES
LOSE TO MAC IN OUA FINAL (Mar 1)
It was another full house
and another intense game with the Blues falling behind
again but this time Toronto could not make the big run
at the end against the tough defense of the CIS #2 McMaster
Marauders. The first quarter was close as Mac took a
16-15 lead but the Blues lost the game with 1 for 11
shooting in the second period as the Marauders moved
out to a 34-21 lead at the break. After that, the Blues
fought hard but could not over come the deficit because
of continued poor shooting, poor rebounding and too
many turnovers. The Blues went into the fourth down
9 at 53-44 and managed 18 shots to Mac's 9 but needed
a better scoring touch to make it close.
For the Blues Laila Bellony had
another big game with 17 points and 7 boards to lead
in both categories.
CHO
AND HUTTON CAPTURE OUA HONOURS
Varsity
Blues fifth-year captain Christine Cho
claims her third consecutive OUA all-star nod and captures
the prestigious East division Joy Bellinger
Award in recognition of her outstanding service
to the sport and the advancement of university athletics.
Joining Cho as a first team all-star
is teammate Alaine Hutton, as Ontario
University Athletics (OUA) announced their all-stars
and major award winners.
Cho
(Lithia Springs, GA), a fifth-year Political Science
and History student, has been the Varsity Blues co-captain
for the past three years and has demonstrated outstanding
leadership in and outside of the team setting. Not
only is she an accomplished basketball player, Cho is
also a phenomenal role model to young aspiring girls
in the community. She is an academic all-Canadian
and an honour student at the University of Toronto.
As
a volunteer basketball coach for an under-14 boys' team,
Cho prides herself in what she can
accomplish in and outside the classroom. She has spent
numerous hours in the classroom at Senator O'Connor
High School in Scarborough, assisting as a teacher's
helper, and has given of her time on weekends to assist
local club, elementary and high school teams as a clinician.
She
has donated her time freely to the Herizon House for
Abused Women and Children in Toronto as well as being
an active member of the Toronto Chapter for "Right to
Play", and camp counsellor at the Elite Basketball and
U of T summer camps.
Joining
Cho as first team all-stars are Laurentian's
Cassandra Carpenter (Kanata, Ont.) and York Lions Laura
MacCallum (Paris, ON). The 2007-08 East most valuable
player, Carpenter had another impressive year averaging
20.6 points per game and eight rebounds per game, while
tallying 82 assists, 24 blocks and 56 steals. She finished
the season ranked first in the OUA and CIS in scoring,
sixth in the OUA in rebounding and second in the OUA
in total steals.
This
is MacCallum's second consecutive first team all-star
nod. She finished the season sixth in OUA scoring, averaging
16.5 points per game to lead the Lions. She also
had a remarkable 88.6% average from the charity stripe,
while playing a team high 33.7 minutes per game.
MacCallum's
teammate Emily Van Hoof (Lindsay, Ont.) makes her first
appearance on the first team. Van Hoof finished
the season with a 14.5 points per game average, while
hauling in 147 rebounds, 42 steals and six blocks.
Last
but certainly not least and rounding out the first team
is Varsity Blues third-year guard Alaine Hutton
(Hamilton , Ont.). Hutton led the Blues
in most offensive categories and finished her season
fourth in OUA scoring, averaging 17.1 points per game,
had 53 steals, and led her team with 79 assists. Alaine
has moved up from Rookie of the Year in '05-'06, to
second team all-star last year.
PLAYER
OF THE YEAR
Cassandra
Carpenter, Laurentian, Kanata, ON
DEFENSIVE
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Teddi
Firmi, Queens, Kitchener, ON
ROOKIER
OF THE YEAR
Brittany
Moore, Queens, Hannon, ON
JOY
BELLINGER AWARD
Christine
Cho, Toronto, Lithia Springs, GA
FIRST
TEAM ALL-STARS
Cassandra
Carpenter, Laurentian, Kanata, ON
Laura
MacCallum, York, Paris, ON
Alaine
Hutton, Toronto, Hamilton, ON
Emily
Van Hoof, York, Lindsay, ON
Christine
Cho, Toronto, Lithia Springs, GA
COACH
OF THE YEAR
Michele
Belanger, Toronto
Alaine Hutton
Christine Cho
 
BLUES
NEED OT TO EARN TRIP TO NATIONALS (Feb24)
After two years of ending their season with a loss at
the hands of York, the Varsity Blues looked like they
were on their way to another loss to the Lions on Sunday.
But this year, with a regular season first place finish,
the Blues were playing at home in front of a large boisterous
crowd and a slow start was not going to cause this team
to fold. York came out flying shooting 50% while the
Blues missed layups and struggled to score while shooting
29%. Three starters were shut-out as York rolled to
a 26-17 lead. Toronto settled down, threw in some zone
defense, created some turn-overs and fought back with
a 23-17 second quarter to pull within 3 at the break.
The third quarter was intense as the Blues would claw
back then fade only to claw back again to keep it close
but not enough to take control. The Blues shot 50% but
York improved to 53% and the Lions were up 64-60 to
set up a crucial fourth period with a trip to Nationals
at stake. Toronto fell back again by as much as 11 with
less than 5 minutes to play but then made their big
run. Kyla scored 6 points and Christine
had 7 to bring the Blues within 3 again with less than
a minute to play. Kyla then hit the
shot of the game with a big 3 pointer, her first and
just the team's third of the game, and the Blues sent
the game to over-time for the fifth time this year.
OT was all Toronto as the Blues scored first for the
first lead of the game. The Varsity Blues shot 6 for
7 from the floor and 7 for 8 from the line to pull away
with a 99-91 win over the shell-shocked Lions. Toronto
will now head off to Saskatoon for the Nationals Mar
7-9 as the OUA East Champion.
Player of the Game for the Blues was
Laila Bellony who came off the bench
to lead the team with 21 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks
and 2 assists. Kyla Burwash
had 20 points, 4 assists and 2 steals in 38 minutes
while Alaine Hutton had 17 points,
9 assists and 4 steals playing the last 6 minutes and
OT with 4 fouls. Christine Cho chipped
in 14 points in a very balanced team effort that saw
10 players contribute to the scoring.
BLUES
MOVE ON TO EAST FINAL (Feb 20)
After 10 days off the Blues hosted Carleton in
one of the East OUA semi-finals. Toronto took an early
lead but both teams were struggling to find the range
(both shot 3 for 13 in an ugly quarter of play) but
the Blues 5 points from the foul line gave them a 12-7
lead at the end of the first 10 minutes. The Ravens
then went on a 3 point shooting spree and tied the game
up at 30 at the half. Carleton continued their 3 point
shooting and hard work on the boards to take a 46-43
lead over the shocked Blues although both teams struggled
again with both shooting the same 5 for 17. In the final
10, the Ravens changed their attack and worked the ball
inside and got to the foul line to take a 6 point lead
into the final minutes.The Varsity Blues, led by Alaine
Hutton and Kyla Burwash forced
some turnovers, penetrated to draw fouls and managed
to fight back and take a 1 point lead in the last minute.
Toronto was just holding on as Carleton tried to take
a lead with 3 attempts before Alaine grabbed a loose
ball and was fouled. She hit them both and time ran
out as Carleton tried to get off a three to send it
to OT. The final score was 64-61 as the Blues move on
to host York in the East Final.
The Player of the Game was Alaine
Hutton with 24 points to lead all scorers.
Christine Cho struggled to score from
the floor but her 6 for 6 at the line gave her
10 points and her 10 rebounds led the team. Laila
Bellony had a strong game with 11 points and
9 boards to go with her 3 blocks.
BLUES
FINISH IN FIRST PLACE WITH TWO WINS (Feb 8-9)
On Friday the Blues hosted York in a battle for first
place. It was an intense game with the Blues full court
defense creating many turnovers and leading to extra
shot opportunities. The Lions hung in the game by getting
to the foul line. In the first half the Blues had no
free throws while York scored 10 of their 15 opportunities.
Toronto shot 50% in the first quarter but were only
up by 19-17. The second quarter didn't change much as
the Blues outscored the Lions 17-16 to take a 3 point
lead into the break. After 20 minutes the Blues leading
scorer was senior Kyla Burwash
with 12 points and some great hustle plays.
In the third, another Blues senior Christine
Cho took over with 15 points to lead Toronto
to a 26-18 period and an 11 point lead. Although York
fought hard to close the gap in the final frame Toronto
hung on to their lead and finished with a 79-68 victory.
The win moved the Blues into first place with just Laurentian
standing between a chance to host all playoff games
through the OUA Championship.
The Player of the Game was Kyla
Burwash who finished with 14 points, 5 rebounds,
3 steals and 2 assists. Cho finished
with 20 second half points while another senior
Laila Bellony had 15 points.
Alaine Hutton had 6 assists and 3 steals
while Jessica Hiew led the Blues with
7 boards.
On Saturday it was an emotional final home game
for the six graduating seniors and it had the added
pressure of first place being on the line. Alaine
Hutton started things off by hitting
her first 3 shots but then the Blues went cold and couldn't
find the basket. Toronto shot just 32% while the Voyageurs
hit 50% to take a 21-17 lead after 10 minutes. Toronto
changed to a zone with a lot of full court pressure
and outscored Laurentian 21-11 to take over the game.
After a tight 3rd quarter the Blues had moved to a 58-51
lead and just needed to hang on to take first place.
Toronto extended the lead to 11 but in the last two
minutes a 10 point lead was quickly reduced to 7, then
5 then 3. With just seconds left Laurentian took a layup
instead of kicking out for a three to tie the game and
the Blues escaped with a 70-69 win. With 12 wins in
the final 13 games the Blues claimed FIRST
PLACE in the OUA EAST.
Player of the Game was senior
Christine Cho who had 21 points, 6
rebounds, 4 steals and 2 assists in her final league
game. Alaine also finished with 21
points, 8 boards and 5 assists
The
BLUES '08 SENIORS will graduate as OUA East League Champions
Laila,
Jessica, Kyla, Ilana, Amanda and Christine
Close win at Carleton-Big win at Ottawa (Feb1-2)
On Friday
Toronto met a determined Carleton squad that was fighting
to move up the playoff ladder. The Ravens took a 19-18
lead after 10 minutes and went on to a 36-34 lead at
the half with 58% shooting from the floor compared to
the Blues 44% effort. But the third quarter was all
Blues as Toronto went on a 24-14 run to take an 8 point
lead into the final quarter. After increasing the margin
to 10 the Blues relaxed and Carleton made one more push
cutting the lead to 2 in the last minute. Toronto hung
on for a 71-69 win that kept them 1 game behind York
for first in the East. Although they were outshot 48%-40%
for the game, the Blues 10 extra rebounds, 7 more foul
shots, 5 less turnovers and 6 more blocked shots were
enough to pull off the victory.
Alaine Hutton led all players
with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals in another solid
outing. Christine Cho had 15 points
and 5 boards while Laila Bellony had
4 blocked shots to go with her 4 for 4 and 11 point
night.
On Saturday the Blues had another slow start and
were trailing the Gee-Gees 21-20 after the first period
but a 27-10 second 10 minutes, led by the three point
shooting of Christine Cho, put the
Blues ahead to stay. The final score was 77-52 as Toronto
out-shot and out-rebounded the young Ottawa team.
Cho led the Blues with 18 points
on 4 for 5 from behind the arc. Alaine Hutton
followed with 14 while Jessica Hiew
had 12 and Kyla Burwash with her large
group of Vankleek Hill supporters had 10 points to go
with her 4 steals. Amanda Van Leeuwen
led with 6 boards while Megan Stoncius
came off the bench for 8 points with a perfect shooting
night.
Weekend
Split on the Road (Jan25-26) Drops Blues into Second
As
the regular season moved into the last three weekends
before playoffs, the 3 best teams in the OUA East were
meeting for the first time to sort out the top three
places in the standings. On Friday, the Blues played
at Laurentian without their All-Star guard Alaine
Hutton but Sherri Pierce
came off the bench and stepped up to lead the Blues
to a 79-74 victory. The loss dropped Les Voyageurs to
third.
Toronto kept control most of the evening with great
foul shooting (scoring 17 consecutive free throws before
the first miss). Sherri led the Blues
with 16 points, Ilana Weissberger had
14 points and 5 boards while Christine Cho
had 12 and 5.
On
Saturday, Toronto travelled down from Sudbury to break
the tie for first at York. The Lions came out roaring
with a big 18-6 first quarter lead. The Blues settled
down to play even for the second but after another big
run in the third, York took a 58-36 lead into the final
10 minutes and the game seemed to be decided. The Blues
applied full court pressure and the Lions started to
turnover the ball. The 22 point lead evaporated quickly
as Toronto cut the lead to 8 with 1:42 left, then 6
with 1:30 and then to 4 with just under 1 minute. With
49 seconds left the Blues closed to 72-70 and the large
York crowd was very quiet. With both teams missing on
their next possessions it came down to a UofT sideline
inbounds with 14 seconds left and a chance to win or
send it to OT. The Lions created a turnover, took over
the ball and scored on a foul shot to escape with a
73-70 win. York took over first place with record of
15-3, Toronto fell to second with 14-4 and Laurentian
are still in the picture with 13-5. It will come down
to Feb 9-10 as York and Laurentian come to Toronto to
finish the regular season.
Alaine Hutton returned to action with
17 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals for the
evening to lead the Blues. Christine Cho
was top scorer in the game with 22 points and 6 boards
while Joanna Medri had 8 points on
just 3 shots to go with her 3 steals. The Blues missed
17 points from the foul line.
Blues
Beat RMC and Queens (Jan18-19)
On Friday the Blues hosted RMC and Toronto dominated
the winless Palladins holding the visitors to just 14
more points after their 11 in the first quarter. Although
the Varsity Blues sat out 3 starters for this game the
Blues out-rebounded and out-shot RMC and ran away with
a 67-25 victory. Of the twelve players dressed, 11 managed
to chip in to the scoring and 11 also added to the rebound
total. Toronto shot 7 for 10 from the 3 point line in
a great display of long range shooting.
For Toronto, Christine Cho led with
18 points in just 22 minutes, Ilana
Weissberger had 8 rebounds in just
17 minutes of action and Kyla Burwash
led with 6 assists in her 17 minutes.
On Saturday Queens came in to the Athletic Center
looking to prevent a Blues sweep after the Toronto win
at Kingston two weeks ago. The Gaels played tough and,
even with Toronto's well rested starters, the Blues
had trouble keeping Queens in check during the first
half. Toronto shot 53% for their 32 shots while Queens
struggled at 29% for 34 attempts and the Blues headed
into half-time with a 37-28 lead. A 19-10 third quarter
seemed to put the game out of reach but Queens hung
in and chipped away in the final frame but fell short
as the Blues extended their win streak to 7 with a 71-56
win.
Alaine Hutton and Kyla
Burwash split 30 points and 8 assists to lead
the Blues. Kyla also had 8 steals while
Amanda Van Leeuwen had 10 boards and
3 blocks to top the Blues stats. Christine
had 13 points and 8 rebounds and Jessica Hiew
had 9 and 8 in a well balanced team effort.
Blues
Extend Win Streak to Five (Jan11-12)
Toronto hosted Carleton Friday and extended their win
streak to 4 games with a low scoring 55-39 victory.
The Blues led by just 10-8 after the first quarter but
with a strong second pulled ahead by 31-17 at the break
with a 41%-21% shooting advantage and 79%-33%
advantage at the foul line. Then the game got ugly for
both teams. In the second half the Blues outscored the
Ravens 24-22 as both teams struggled to score baskets.
The Blues were led by Christine Cho's
11 points as 10 Toronto players hit the score sheet
while Megan Stoncius and Laila
Bellony had 6 boards. Alaine Hutton
had 5 assists.
On Saturday, the Ottawa Gee Gees ran into one
of the best Blues efforts of the season. Toronto led
19-12 after 10 minutes, then ran away with 23-8 and
22-7 second and third quarters. With no starters playing
in the fourth the Blues continued to roll to an 89-48
win. For the second night Toronto out-rebounded, had
fewer turnovers and scored more from the foul line than
their opponent. All 12 players scored and 10 players
contributed boards against the Gee Gees.
The Varsity Blues player of the game was Jessica
Hiew who had 16 points. Other double digit
scorers were Alaine and Christine
with 13 each while Laila Bellony
chipped in 10. Alaine led the Blues
with 8 boards and 5 assists.
Blues
Start '08 with Two Wins (Jan4-5)
Toronto
started the New Year on the road in Kingston with the
Friday game at Queens. After Toronto's tough exhibition
schedule in late December, the Blues were sharp
and ready for the return to league
action. The Blues jumped out to an early lead by controlling
the boards, limiting turnovers and getting to the foul
line. However the Gaels responded in the second quarter
and made a run to tighten the game at 32-28 at the break.
UofT replied with a 26-17 third quarter but Queens fought
back one more time in the final minutes to make it close
but Toronto hit foul shots down the stretch and held
on for a 74-65 win.
Top Blues were Christine Cho
with 18 points and 9 rebounds and Alaine
Hutton also with 18 points. Amanda
Van Leeuwen had a strong 9 points and 12 rebounds.
On Saturday, the Blues played at RMC who are still
looking for their first win of the season. Toronto was
able to rest 2 starters and all 12 players who dressed
were able to play at least 12 minutes and everyone contributed
to the 80-46 win.
Alaine lead the Blues again with
15 points, 6 assists, 4 steals and 5 rebounds. Jess
Hiew had a double-double with 12 points and
10 rebounds while Angella Griffith
had 10 points, 5 boards and 4 steals.
Close,
Closer then not so close. Blues lose three in Saskatoon
(Dec28-30)
The Blues travelled to Saskatoon for some post-Christmas
competition before returning to league action in early
January. The three games against top Canada West teams
were just what the Blues needed to get back from the
long exam and holiday layoff. Toronto showed that even
with some injuries and sickness to overcome they are
ready to compete with the best teams in the country.
First
up was Regina, the CIS #7 team, and Toronto took a 4
point lead after the first quarter, held on for a 1
point lead at the half but gave up their lead in the
third but came back strong in the fourth to come up
one shot away in a 67-64 loss to the Cougars. Both teams
combined for 60 turnovers as they worked off the rust
of the long layoff. Alaine Hutton led
the Blues with 18 points, 4 assists and 2 steals but
her 9 turnovers reflected the 3 weeks off. Jess
Hiew had 10 points and 5 rebounds before fouling
out.
Next
up was the host Saskatchewan Huskies and the home town
crowd was in for quite a show. The Blues were down 42-36
at the half, 55-47 after three but made a big comeback
in the fourth to tie the game at 77 and send the game
into overtime. But one OT was not enough as the Blues
gave up a 4 point lead and the Huskies tied at 88 and
sent the game into a second OT. At this point the Blues
hit a wall as the Huskies went on a 14-2 roll and a
102-90 victory. The Blues were led by Kyla Burwash
who had 18 points, 3 assists and 3 steals. Alaine
had another big game with 22 points, Christine
Cho had 14 points and 6 rebounds, Jess
had 11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals and
Ilana Weissberger had 10 points, 6
boards and 5 steals.
The next morning the Toronto then had to take on Alberta,
the CIS #6 team, so it didn't get any easier for the
Blues. The Pandas took control early as their transition
game led to easy baskets and an early lead. Although
the Blues showed some fight in the fourth and made a
run to close the gap, Alberta maintained their composure
and held on for a 75-63 win and the Tournament Championship.
The Blues were led by Cho's 15 points
and 9 rebounds. Amanda Vanleeuwen had
13 points and 8 boards while Alaine
also had 13 with 5 assists and Kyla
had 11 points and 5 steals. Alaine was
selected as a Tournament All-Star.
Blues
Bounce Back for a Weekend Split at Home (Nov 30-Dec
1)
On Friday, a solid first quarter effort was wasted
as the Blues gave away an early 14 point lead, let Western
back into the game at the half and then followed up
with a disastrous third quarter that cost Toronto their
first home loss of the season. The Blues used 55% shooting,
4 for 7 from behind the arc and just 1 turnover to take
a 26-18 lead after 10 minutes. The Mustangs chipped
away in the second ten to close the gap to 41-37 at
the break. The third was all Western as they created
7 turnovers, outrebounded the Blues 17-3, held Toronto
to 29% shooting and pulled away to a 60-50 lead. The
Varsity Blues fought back in the fourth but couldn't
close the gap with the final score 85-75 for Western.
The Player of the Game for the
Blues was Alaine Hutton who had 22
points, 4 assists and 2 steals. Christine Cho
had 17 points on 4 for 8 from the three point line and
Laila Bellony had 11 points and 5 rebounds.
On Saturday the Blues hosted Windsor and needed
a win to finish off the cross-over series with the OUA
West Conference teams with a winning record (5-3) and
bounce back from Friday's loss. Toronto took control
early and cruised to a half-time lead of 33-18 built
by good rebounding (23-18), limiting turnovers (9-17)
and strong foul shooting (12 for 15). After three quarters
the lead had increased to 53-35 and the Blues were in
control. Then in the final frame, Dranadia Roc decided
to take the game into her own hands and with a 19 point
outburst including 5 3-pointers she brought the game
back to within 3points to give the Blues a scare but
Toronto hit foul shots down the stretch and hung on
for a 73-65 win.
For the Varsity Blues, Player of the Game
was Kyla Burwash for her steady ball
handling against the Windsor pressure and her season
best 3 for 4 from behind the arc as she scored 14 points
and had 3 assists with just 1 turnover. Top Toronto
scorer was Alaine with 19 points including
12 for 12 from the foul line. Cho just
missed another double-double with 11 rebounds and 9
points playing on an injured foot.
BLUES
SPLIT WEEKEND (Nov 23-24)
After suffering their first loss last weekend the Blues
bounced back with a 67-54 win on the road at Guelph.
Toronto let a young scrappy Gryphon squad hang around
till half-time with a close 32-28 lead at the break.
In the 3'rd quarter the Blues put it in high gear with
a full court press and increased transition opportunities
that led to a 22-9 run and a 54-37 lead going into the
final 10 minutes. The Blues had a much improved 17 turnovers,
out-rebounded Guelph 40-34 and scored 8 for 10 from
the foul line compared to Guelph's 8 for 22.
Top performer for the Blues again was Alaine
Hutton with 21 points, 6 boards, 6 assists,
and 3 steals with only 2 turnovers in 31 minutes of
play. Christine Cho had 15 points and
10 rebounds as she contributed another double-double.
Jessica Hiew chipped in with 10 points
and Erin McNeely had a strong 6 points
and 5 boards and 2 assists coming off the bench for
19 minutes.
On Saturday, Toronto travelled to St. Catharines
for an afternoon game. Like Friday evening, the Blues
took a 40-32 lead into the halftime break and seemed
in control. From the first possesion of the second half
the Badgers came out with an increased intensity, aggressive
defense and rebounding and improved shooting to take
over the lead with a 27-15 quarter. Toronto had to regroup,
tighten their defense and work their way back into the
game. With 2 seconds left and Brock holding a 3 point
lead, Christine Cho was fouled on a
three point attempt and she calmly hit the 3 free throws
to send the game into overtime. After 5 minutes of OT
play, the Blues had a 3 point lead with time running
out when Brock threw up a half court shot at the buzzer
to send the game to a second overtime. This time Toronto
faded and missed shot after shot allowing Brock to pull
out an exciting 97-91 victory. For Toronto, the
Player of the Game was Christine Cho
who had another double-double with 11 rebounds and a
season high 26 points as she shot 5 for 7 from the 3
point arc and 7 for 8 from the line. Top scorer of the
game was Alaine Hutton with 28 points,
5 assists and 5 steals while Kyla Burwash
had a 13 point, 5 assist and 4 steal effort with just
2 turnovers in 42 minutes of play.
BLUES
WIN IN OT THEN SUFFER FIRST LOSS (Nov16-17)
On
Friday, Toronto flew to Thunder Bay to take on the host
Lakehead Thunderwolves. Toronto had a slow start allowing
Lakehead to take 14-10, 30-23 and 43-36 leads after
the first 3 quarters of play in a low scoring battle.
In the fourth the Blues started to put it together after
trailing by 11 with 8 minutes left. Toronto caught up
and went ahead but Lakehead recovered their poise and
pulled back into the lead in the last minute but the
Blues responded and tied the game up and missed an open
shot for the win at the buzzer. The overtime, however,
was all Toronto as the Blues shot 5 for 8 from the floor
and 5-5 from the line while Lakehead struggled with
2 for 10 shooting as Toronto pulled away for a 74-65
win.
The games high scorer was Alaine Hutton
with 24 points (10-14 from the foul line). Alaine
also had 8 steals and 4 assists to earn Blues
Player of the Game. Amanda Van Leeuwen
contributed to the win with 15 points, 8 rebounds and
2 steals while Christine Cho had a
double-double with 10 points and 11 boards.
On Saturday, Toronto drove down the QEW to Hamilton
to meet the CIS #4 McMaster Marauders in a battle of
2 unbeaten teams. The early lead went back and forth
until Mac went on a run and the Blues couldn't find
a way to score. The Marauders took a 19-10 lead at the
quarter and although the Blues hung even the rest of
the way, they couldn't get any closer than the final
8 point difference. Toronto scored more from the foul
line shooting 20-26 compared to Mac's 15-26 and out-rebounded
McMaster 46-38 but a season high 34 turnovers limited
the Blues to a season low 55 shot attempts. The final
score was 58-66.
For the Blues, Christine (15
points-11 rebounds) and Amanda (11
points-12 rebounds) had double-doubles to share Player
of the Game. Alaine had 12
points before fouling out and Jessica Hiew
chipped in 9 points and 6 boards.
BLUES
WIN TWO AT HOME (Nov 9-10)
On Friday the Blues hosted
Waterloo in the first cross-over game with the west
conference. After a slow start,
Toronto rallied, caught up and then pulled away to a
20-11 lead after one quarter. With a strong defensive
effort and great shooting the Blues moved ahead to a
39-18 lead at the half- Toronto shot 53% while Waterloo
struggled at 27%. The third quarter was all Varsity
Blues as they held Waterloo to just 6 points and went
ahead 58-26. Toronto then held on for a 75-51 win to
run their win streak to 3 games. Toronto's defence forced
34 Waterloo turnovers and picked up14 steals in an improved
team effort on defense.
The Blues were led by Christine Cho's
16 points and 4 assists, Alaine Hutton's
16 points and 2 steals, Amanda VanLeeuwen's
13 points and 6 rebounds but Player of the Game was
Laila Bellony who had 12 points, 3
steals and played great defence on Waterloo's star forward,
Gillian Maxwell, holding their leading scorer to 4 for
12. On Saturday
the Golden Hawks from Laurier visited the Athletic Center
and brought an aggressive, physical game that challenged
the Blues for all 40 minutes. Laurier tried to run,
press and bump the Blues and did create 26 turnovers
but Toronto's inside game continued their weekend domination.
The Blues came through with a hard-fought 78-69 victory
to keep the streak alive. The Blues out-rebounded the
Hawks 49-32 and scored 19 for 23 (83%) at the foul line.
Tops for the Blues were Alaine
with 20 points and 6 assists, Christine
with 16 points and 8 rebounds and Laila
with 11 points and 9 boards. The Player of the Game
was Amanda VanLeeuwen who sparked the
team early in the game and had a 14 point, 7 rebound
game.
BLUES
WIN HOME OPENER (NOV 6)
In a rare Tuesday game Toronto hosted Ryerson 4 days
after their season opening win at Ryerson. The Rams
put up a strong first half, out-shooting and out-rebounding
the Blues as Ryerson tried to even up the home and away
series.
The
score at the half was 40-37 for the Blues who outscored
Ryerson by 14-5 at the foul line. The third quarter
was all Toronto as the Blues outscored their opponent
27-10 with higher intensity, improved defense and better
rebounding. The Blues improved their shooting to 49%
in the second half while they held the Rams to 31 %.
Toronto extended its league win streak to 2 with a 86-67
final score. Christine Cho led all
scorers with 18 points and 11 boards for a double- double.
Alaine Hutton scored 11 and Ilana Weissberger
had a strong game with 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists
and 2 steals.. The Blues Player of the Game
was Kyla Burwash who had 10 points,
5 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal
Blues
Name Three Team Captains for 07-08 Season
The
'07-'08 Varsity Blues will be led by three fifth year
team captains:
Christine Cho
Amanda VanLeeuwen
Kyla Burwash
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