The Varsity Blues women’s basketball team went 2-1, good for a fifth-place finish at the third annual Darcel Wright Memorial Classic, October 15-17, hosted by the Ryerson Rams.

U of T fell to the Saskatchewan Huskies 69-57 on Friday afternoon but rebounded with a huge 76-41 victory over the Guelph Gryphons on Saturday. The Blues then defeated the McMaster Marauders 71-53 in the consolation final on Sunday morning.

In their first game of the tournament, the 2009-10 CIS bronze medalist Huskies jumped on the Blues early and often in both the first and third quarters, outscoring Toronto 33-17 combined in those periods. Although the Blues bench doubled up their western counterparts, 24-12, they could not make up for their slow starts to each half.

Fifth-year guard Erin McNeely of Kingston, Ont., led the Blues with 14 points in the loss.

The Varsity Blues went on to handily defeat the Guelph Gryphons in the first consolation semi-final match on Saturday. With a 12-point lead at halftime, the Blues took no chances, dominating Guelph 39-13 in the third and fourth quarters to assure their spot in the consolation final on Sunday.

2009-10 CIS all-Canadian Nicki Schutz of Toronto dominated the glass, tallying a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds, while McNeely chipped in 11 points in the winning effort.

The Blues carried that momentum over into the fifth-place game on Sunday morning, dominating all but the second quarter versus McMaster. Leading 38-32 at halftime, Toronto put the game away for good, outscoring the Marauders 33-21 in the second half.

Schutz recorded her second double-double of the tournament with 20 points and 10 boards, while veteran guard Sherri Pierce of Brampton, Ont., had 14 points on the day.

The Varsity Blues return to the court next weekend, October 22-24, when they travel to Montreal for McGill University’s Redbird Classic.

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