Box Score The No. 9 Varsity Blues women’s basketball team dropped a narrow 57-56 decision to the Ottawa Gee-Gees in their first game of 2011 on Friday, January 7 at Montpetit Hall.

With the loss, U of T is now 7-3 and sit tied with the Carleton Ravens (7-2) for the top spot in the OUA East. The Blues are set to face the No. 7 Ravens tomorrow night at 6 p.m. live on SSN Canada.

The Blues held the upper hand throughout the majority of the game, leading 13-8, 27-24 and 43-39 after the first, second and third quarters, respectively. The Gee-Gees finally gained the lead (48-47) with just over three minutes remaining; however, Toronto evened the score at 49-49 and went on to gain a 55-52 lead with 37 seconds to go.

Ottawa chipped away at the three-point deficit, bringing the game within one with 30 seconds left. Toronto struggled from the free throw line and Ottawa standout Hannah Sunley Paisley capitalized, draining a three-pointer with only three seconds remaining to secure the home-team victory.

Toronto native and veteran forward Nicki Schutz led the Blues with another solid double-double performance, tallying 15 points and 11 boards. Kingston, Ont., native Erin McNeely chipped in with eight points, while rookie guard Jill Stratton of Etobicoke, Ont., was 4-of-4 from the line and hit one of Toronto’s two three-pointers for a seven-point performance.

The Gee-Gees were led by third-year forward Jenna Gilbert’s (Ottawa) game-high 18 points and eight rebounds. Hannah Sunley-Paisley had a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds.

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