UTSC women’s b-ball squad in charity game for typhoon relief

The game may have ended in a disappointing 52-20 loss for the women’s basketball team at the University of Toronto Scarborough but the mood was still positive.

Shooting guard Cristina Arribas fights for the ball during a charity basketball game on November 20th

Shooting guard Cristina Arribas fights for the ball during a charity basketball game on Nov. 20 for Typhoon Haiyan relief.

“The loss didn’t matter to us,” said shooting guard Cristina Arribas. “The game was for fun and the team that we faced was much more experienced than us, so we got to learn a lot from them.”

This wasn’t just any game, after all. Organized by Give 1NE, the Nov. 20 basketball game was co-ordinated to help raise money for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan.

“The purpose of Give 1NE is to raise $1 million so that we can help those who have been affected by the hurricane in the Philippines,” said Marieneth Montenegro, a member of the leadership team for Give 1NE.

Despite being outmatched by a team composed of some of the top Filipina basketball players in Toronto, the UTSC squad was happy that they were able to raise money for a good cause, Arribas said.

“There are many tragedies that happen around the world and choosing one is very hard sometimes,” said Arribas. “It’s important however, to help out whenever you can.”

The charity basketball game was the first of many. With seven of the nine original founders of Give 1NE hailing from Scarborough, more games in the area are planned.

“We cannot talk about specific dates because we are still in the planning stages,” said Montenegro. “We would definitely like to do more games in Scarborough as basketball is something that everyone can enjoy.”

The funds raised will be going to many charitable efforts to assist with relief, Montenegro said.

“The donations are going towards large Canadian charities like Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders,” she said.

About this article

By: Aaron Niles
Copy editor: Robin Dhanju
Posted: Dec 3 2013 5:13 pm
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Filed under: Basketball Sports
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