The York University Lions women's basketball team was defeated by a score of 78-48 by the visiting Toronto Varsity Blues in front of hundreds of local children at the Tait McKenzie Centre on Friday afternoon.
 
The atmosphere was electric as the cross-town rivals battled it out on the court.
 
The first quarter was a tight affair in which neither team pulled ahead by more than three points, and Toronto led by just one point, 12-11, at the end of the frame.
 
It didn't take long for the Blues to start pulling away in the second as they opened the quarter on a 9-0 run to lead 21-11 just a few minutes in. The visitors continued to find the bottom of the net and led 29-19 at the half.
 
The Varsity Blues continued to pull ahead in the third, outscoring the Lions 22-7 in the frame. The Lions had a much better final quarter, putting up 22 points, but it was not enough to catch their rivals.
 
Fifth-year forward Shauney Fischer (Wallaceburg, Ont.) had her second straight solid game for the Lions, just missing out on a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds. Rookie forward Megan MacLeod (Niagara Falls, Ont.) came in off the bench and put together the best game of her young career, scoring 11 points and adding four rebounds.
 
Toronto was led by Keyira Parkes, who posted a game-high 19 points and added eight rebounds. Rahshida Atkinson was also strong with 18 points and three rebounds.
 
The loss drops the Lions to 2-7 on the year and they remain in fourth place in the OUA East standings. The Blues improved to 6-5 with the victory and are still in third spot.
 
The Lions will be back in action again on Saturday night when they welcome their other City of Toronto rival, the Ryerson Rams, to the Tait McKenzie Centre. Tip-off is set for 6pm.