Box Score The No. 10 Varsity Blues women’s basketball team fell 69-56 to the No. 7 Ottawa Gee-Gees on Friday, January 13 at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym.

The loss drops Toronto to 7-4 as they remain tied with the No. 4 Carleton Ravens for second place, while Ottawa (9-2) retains their supremacy in the East. The Ravens fell 65-54 to the Ryerson Rams (5-6) tonight, making tomorrow night’s game between Toronto and Carleton a battle for second place.

Down one (37-36) at halftime, Ottawa outscored Toronto 33-19 in the second half to come away with their ninth straight victory.

“We didn’t battle hard enough in the second,” said Varsity Blues head coach Michele Belanger. “We had poor defensive rotation and missed a lot of key drives.  We’ll have to be much better tomorrow and believe in what we can do.”

Second-year guard Jill Stratton was named the Varsity Blues player of the game. The Etobicoke, Ont., native tallied a game-high 16 points, while adding four rebounds on the night. Sherri Pierce (Brampton, Ont.) had 12 points, while Toronto native Joanna Medri added 11 in the loss.

The teams were evenly matched for the majority of the first quarter, with Stratton leading the way with seven points. Ottawa turned up the heat in the final two minutes to take a 19-13 lead into the second.

The Gee-Gees maintained the gap but a three-pointer by Medri would bring the Blues back within two (24-26) midway through the frame. Ottawa foul trouble saw Toronto drain nine free throws in the second quarter as the Blues held OUA leading scorer Hannah Sunley Paisley to just four points and went into halftime with a 37-36 advantage.

Toronto opened the third quarter with two quick jumpers but Ottawa held the Blues scoreless for 6:29, going on an 11-0 run to gain a 12-point lead (55-43) heading into the fourth.

The Gee-Gees widened their lead in the early goings of the final frame with Toronto unable to rally. 

Bess Lennox led the Gee-Gees with a double-double of 16 points and 12 boards, while Sunley Paisley added 14 points in the win.

The Blues and Ravens tip off tomorrow night at 6 p.m. at the Athletic Centre Sports Gym.  The game will be streamed live on SSN Canada through varsityblues.ca. Advance tickets are on sale: click here or call 416-946-3811.

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