AVE MARIA, Fla. --- The Ave Maria women's basketball team defeated Thomas University 79-60 on Thursday night. The Gyrenes are 15-12 on the season, 6-9 in the Sun Conference. The Blue and Green will finish the week on the road when they travel to Southeastern University for a 2 p.m. tipoff.
 
All five starters played big for the Lady Gyrenes, as Taylor Lindsey and Annie Artise each scored 18 points. Lauren Gillingham scored 16 points, while shooting 11-12 from the free throw line. Madison McDonald had seven assists and scored eight points in the win. Yvanessa Vincent had a double double with 12 points and 11 rebounds (seven offensive rebounds).
 
The Lady Gyrenes had a strong first half, forcing the Nighthawks to 12 first half turnovers. Their tireless zone proved to be tough to beat for Thomas. This was another half of runs for AMU as there were five lead changes. Poor outside shooting was apparent, as AMU shot only 24% in the first 20 minutes. 10 of their 32 points came from their nine offensive rebounds. Vincent was big on the boards to help set the tone for the Lady Gyrenes. Lindsey scored a three with less than two seconds in the half to put AMU up 32-28 at the break.
 
AMU never trailed in the second half while building on the narrow lead they had at the break. The athleticism of the Nighthawks put the heat on the Lady Gyrenes, but the team stayed composed as they outscored Thomas by 14 points in the second half. The stifling defense put Thomas' offensive into overdrive as they turned over the ball 10 times in the second half. The Nighthawks did not score for over four minutes early in the second half, as AMU went on a 9-0 run. AMU continued to build on that lead. Thomas continued to fight, putting the Blue and Green on the free throw line where they shot 19/25 for the half (79% for the game). Thomas had a staggering 15 second half fouls.
 
AMU had 36 total rebounds in the game compared to 34 for Thomas. 
 
Leading the way for Nighthawks was Courtney Saunds with 14 points.