AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team moved to 3-0 on the season with a 72-46 victory over the University of the Virgin Islands on Friday night at the Tom Golisano Field House. The Gyrenes have now held all three of their opponents under 50 points to start the season, and have won each game by more than 25 points.

After giving up the first basket of the game, the Gyrenes went on a 16-0 run in the first quarter to jump out to a 14-point lead. Ave Maria did not allow the Buccaneers to score for a period of more than seven minutes, and all five Gyrenes scored during the run. AMU closed the quarter with a 21-6 lead over UVI, who had defeated a Sun Conference foe earlier in the week in Johnson & Wales.

Another run helped the Gyrenes push their lead to as large as 25 points in the second quarter. Virgin Islands cut the AMU lead to 23-10 before Ave Maria scored 12 unanswered points to take a 35-10 lead over the visitors. In the second quarter, Katie Houbolt knocked down a pair of three-pointers to finish off a 4-for-6 performance from beyond the arc in the first half. A Sarah Miller layup at the buzzer gave the Gyrenes a 47-23 lead heading into halftime.

The Gyrenes dialed the defensive pressure back up in the third quarter, holding UVI to their second single-digit quarter of the evening. Ave Maria outscored the Buccaneers 11-8 in the third, led by four points from Miller. The third consecutive winning quarter allowed AMU to increase their lead to 27 points, 58-31, heading to the fourth.

Virgin Islands made it somewhat interesting in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Gyrenes in the frame. UVI just missed on a three-pointer that would have cut the AMU lead to 13, but the Gyrenes were able to regain control and cruise to a 26-point win. Ave Maria finished the game on a 14-4 run to push the final margin of victory back above 25 points.

Two Gyrenes posted double-doubles in the victories, led by 19 points and 15 rebounds from Sarah Miller. Katie Houbolt hit on five of her seven three-point attempts, and added a career-high 10 rebounds in her first career double-double. Danielle Weinmann added 14 points in the winning effort, while UVI's Laura Costello led the Buccaneers with 18 points and eight rebounds.

The same two teams will play again at the Tom Golisano Field House on Saturday. Tipoff in the rematch is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.