February 23, 2006
QUEEN'S ELIMINATES SHOCKED BLUES
TORONTO - The Queen's University Golden Gaels shot 50 per cent from the field and a blistering 54 per cent from beyond the arc, as they hung to upset the University of Toronto Varsity Blues 64-58 in the OUA East quarterfinal action at U of T.
On the other side of the ball, missed lay-ups, missed free throws and missed opportunities is what will likely stick with the Varsity Blues (16-6) in off-season. In a match-up where the largest lead was nine, U of T's 32-percent shooting from the floor and their 8-of-17 clip from the foul line looms large.
The Varsity Blues got off to a slow start, with forward Paul Sergautis keeping them in the opening 20 minutes with eight points, including 2-of-3 from three-point territory. Queen's (6-16) however, was 13-of-21 in the opening stanza and Jordan Balaban's 9 points staked the Golden Gaels to a 31-23 halftime advantage.
U of T continued to chip away in the second half and a Nick Snow foul line jumper knotted the game at 47-47 with less than six minutes to go. The Varsity Blues never regained the lead however, and a Jonathan Daniels three-pointer with 37 seconds remaining sealed the upset for Queen's.
\"We struggled all night, but give them credit, when we started to hit some shots and tied the game, they made big plays,\" said U of T head coach Mike Katz. \"Give them full credit for the win.\"
Sergautis finished with a game-high 15 points, while Mo Safarzadeh and Dwayne Grant chipped in with 13 apiece for the Varsity Blues.
The Golden Gaels were led by Balaban's 13 points and nine rebounds. Neal Dawson added nine points and 11 rebounds for Queen's.
OUA East defensive player of the year and first team all-star Michael Williams played 28 minutes for U of T and left the game with over seven minutes to play with a right hip contusion; an injury he suffered when he hit the floor hard on a Queen's flagrant foul.
(Source: Adrian Bradbury, Toronto Sports Information.)
(Photo: Mo Safarzadeh and the rest of the Blues didn't have an answer for the Golden Gaels, who left Toronto with a 64-58 upset win. Photo by Jing-Ling Kao.)
On the other side of the ball, missed lay-ups, missed free throws and missed opportunities is what will likely stick with the Varsity Blues (16-6) in off-season. In a match-up where the largest lead was nine, U of T's 32-percent shooting from the floor and their 8-of-17 clip from the foul line looms large.
The Varsity Blues got off to a slow start, with forward Paul Sergautis keeping them in the opening 20 minutes with eight points, including 2-of-3 from three-point territory. Queen's (6-16) however, was 13-of-21 in the opening stanza and Jordan Balaban's 9 points staked the Golden Gaels to a 31-23 halftime advantage.
U of T continued to chip away in the second half and a Nick Snow foul line jumper knotted the game at 47-47 with less than six minutes to go. The Varsity Blues never regained the lead however, and a Jonathan Daniels three-pointer with 37 seconds remaining sealed the upset for Queen's.
\"We struggled all night, but give them credit, when we started to hit some shots and tied the game, they made big plays,\" said U of T head coach Mike Katz. \"Give them full credit for the win.\"
Sergautis finished with a game-high 15 points, while Mo Safarzadeh and Dwayne Grant chipped in with 13 apiece for the Varsity Blues.
The Golden Gaels were led by Balaban's 13 points and nine rebounds. Neal Dawson added nine points and 11 rebounds for Queen's.
OUA East defensive player of the year and first team all-star Michael Williams played 28 minutes for U of T and left the game with over seven minutes to play with a right hip contusion; an injury he suffered when he hit the floor hard on a Queen's flagrant foul.
(Source: Adrian Bradbury, Toronto Sports Information.)
(Photo: Mo Safarzadeh and the rest of the Blues didn't have an answer for the Golden Gaels, who left Toronto with a 64-58 upset win. Photo by Jing-Ling Kao.)
