AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team fell short in The Sun Conference Game of the Week, losing an 84-51 decision to the No. 3 Southeastern University Fire. The third-ranked Fire, who are undefeated in conference play dating back to last season, moved to 12-0, while the Gyrenes dropped to 10-1, suffering their first loss of the season and ending a historic ten-game winning streak.

Southeastern, who never trailed in the contest, got out to a fast start thanks to their three-point shooting. The Fire knocked down three triples in the first four minutes to grab an early 12-4 lead. The Gyrenes ralled to within two points following a 10-4 run, but the Fire scored the final eight points of the first quarter to take a 24-14 lead after the opening 20 minutes. 

That run continued into the first six points of the second quarter, making the Southeastern run a 14-0 stretch that turned a two-point lead into an edge of 16 points. The second quarter proved to be the game's most lopsided, as Southeastern outscored Ave Maria 22-9 and claimed a 46-23 lead at halftime.

The Fire won both the third and fourth quarters by identical 19-14 scores. During the second half, the Fire's lead grew to 38 points at its biggest in the middle of the fourth quarter. Ave Maria's offense picked up a tick in the second half, as the Gyrenes shot better than 36 percent in the final 20 minutes after a 29.6 percent effort in the first half.

Mallory Burton proved to be a standout for the Gyrenes, scoring a team-high 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting. The only other Gyrene in double figures was Lauren Gillingham, who scored 13 points while pulling down eight rebounds in the losing effort.

Southeastern was led by three-time Sun Conference Player of the Week Ana Richter, who scored 23 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Jaycee Coe hit five three-pointers for the Fire, and added 20 points. The third Fire player in double figures was Hall Printz, who scored ten points.

Ave Maria's final game before Christmas is an exhibition contest on Sunday afternoon in Fort Myers. The Gyrenes face Florida Gulf Coast University at Alico Arena, in a game scheduled for 2:00 p.m. It is FGCU's second game this week against a Sun Conference opponent, as Southeastern played the Eagles on Tuesday.