AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team used a stout defensive effort and good free throw shooting to claim a 56-42 victory over the Keiser University Seahawks. With the win, the Gyrenes secured no worse than a .500 record in conference play, and ensured Ave Maria's spot in The Sun Conference Tournament for the second season in a row.

Ave Maria was ice cold in the first half, shooting just 16.7 percent from the field during the opening 20 minutes. The 26-20 lead the Gyrenes held at halftime was mostly due to 15 made free throws on 19 attempts and eleven forced turnovers. AMU led by as many as eleven points in the final two minutes of the second quarter, but a three-pointer and a layup from the Seahawks trimmed the lead to six points at halftime.

A key run in the middle of the third quarter helped Ave Maria widen the lead. Keiser outscored the Gyrenes 6-4 in the first 4:44 of the third quarter, closing the gap to 30-26. The Gyrenes responded with a 10-0 over the next five minutes, taking a 40-26 lead. The run was led by Sarah Miller, who scored six of the ten points. Keiser hit three free throws in the final five seconds of the quarter to trail 40-29 entering the fourth.

Four more quick points closed the AMU lead to seven with 7:26 to play, but Ave Maria controlled the remainder of the game to close out the win. The Gyrenes outscored the Seahawks 16-9 over the final 7:26 to complete a season sweep over Keiser.

Despite shooting just 26.4 percent from the field, the Gyrenes were led by three double-figure scorers. Lauren Gillingham led the way with 17 points, and Sarah Miller recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Mallory Burton also chipped in 11 points. The Gyrenes made the sixth most free throws in school history (27) and attempted the tenth most (36) to account for nearly half of the team's scoring.

Keiser's only player in double figures was Midori Long, who scored 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting. The AMU defense forced 26 turnovers from Keiser, and were able to capitalize for 28 points. Conversely, the Gyrenes turned the ball over just 11 times, which led to only five Seahawk points.

The Gyrenes, who are guaranteed no worse than a fifth place finish in the conference, will take on Trinity College in a non-conference matchup on Wednesday night. The road game precedes the Gyrenes' second meeting of the season with Southeastern University on Saturday.