MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. --- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team pulled out a resilient victory on Thursday night, rallying for a 64-57 triumph over St. Thomas University on the road. The win moved Ave Maria to 7-7 in Sun Conference play, and greatly improved the Gyrenes' prospects for a Sun Conference Tournament berth, and for a higher seed.
 
A majority of the first half was played with the game within one possession either way. The first team to break through with a substantial lead was Ave Maria, who went on a 9-0 run that lasted for over half of the second quarter. The spurt proved key, as the Gyrenes took a 26-22 lead into the locker room.
 
The Gyrenes stormed out of the break with another run, this one a 9-3 surge that put the Gyrenes up ten, 35-25, with 7:05 to go in the third. However, St. Thomas would dominate most of the final seven minutes, going on a 15-2 run to take a 40-37 lead. The Bobcats led 45-43 at the end of the third quarter.
 
St. Thomas did not surrender the lead in the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter, leading by as much as five. Trailing 53-49 with 3:44 to play, the Gyrenes took control. A pair of Sarah Miller buckets gave Ave leads of 54-53 and 56-55. In the final two minutes, freshmen Macarena Corral and Emily Acosta both hit jumpers, and free throws from Acosta and Lauren Gillingham completed a game-ending 15-4 run.
 
Gillingham came up with a massive 22 pointers for the Gyrenes, and finished one rebound short of a double-double. Miller recorded her usual double-double, scoring 13 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Acosta had ten points, including seven crucial points in the fourth quarter. The Gyrenes made the most of their opportunities on the offensive glass, scoring 13 second chance points on 13 offensive rebounds.
 
Desanta' Jordan led all scorers in the game with 22 points, and added 12 rebounds. Samara Auguste was also in double figures with 16 points.
 
The Gyrenes remain on the road on Saturday for another Sun Conference contest, this time in Lake Wales against the Royals of Warner University. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. The regular season finale will see the Gyrenes host Keiser University at the Tom Golisano Field House on February 18.