WBB | Varsity Blues Edge Voyageurs

The Laurentian Voyageurs lost a highly contested affair against the Toronto Varsity Blues on Friday evening by a score of 60-57. 

Both teams were in search of their fourth win of the season and came out hot by scoring 35 points each in the first half. Both quarters saw a back and forth tussle between the two teams as the lead changed a total of 12 times in the first half. The Voyageurs were led by rookie guard Maria La Rosa with nine points and last match's hero Sidney Crawford with seven points in the first half. The Varsity Blues on the other hand were led by Nada Radonjic with 18 points and Sarah Bennet with five points in the first half. Neither team was able to run away with it as the largest lead acquired by either team was of six points as the Voyageurs achieved that twice. Finally, the Voyageurs shot 48.0% from the field while the Varsity Blues shot 39.4% from the field. 

The second half was a tale of two quarters. Neither team was very successful in scoring but the Voyageurs did manage to restrict the Varsity Blues to single digits. They outscored the Varsity Blue 13-8 in the quarter and this feat was achieved in large part to the Voyageurs who caught fire from beyond the arc as they scored three three-point buckets in the quarter. They were led by La Rosa, Héléna Lamoureux and Arielle Douillette. At the conclusion of the first half, the Voyageurs led 48-43. 

However, the fourth quarter was quite the opposite for the Voyageurs. They were outscored 17-9 in large part to timely defence from the Varsity Blues and nine points from Radonjic. The Varsity Blues took a point lead with 35 seconds left to go after Radonjic converted a successful three-point bucket. Unfortunately, the Voyageurs would not be able to score further and lost the match by a score of 60-57. The Varsity Blues were led by Radonjic who scored a game high 27 points and was closely followed by Bennett with nine points in the match. Conversely, La Rosa led all Voyageurs with 12 points and was followed closely by Bailey Tabin with 11 points in the match. 

The Voyageurs will finish off their 2019-2020 regular season tomorrow, February 15 when they take on the fourth-ranked Ryerson Rams. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 pm at Mattamy Athletic Centre. 

Wali Khan