AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team completed a two-day sweep of the University of the Virgin Islands on Saturday evening, using a second half surge to power an 84-51 victory. The Gyrenes moved to 4-0 with the victory, which saw Ave Maria outscore the Buccaneers 52-26 in the second half.
Despite never trailing in the first quarter, the Gyrenes' lead never got bigger than five points. The lead was tied at five different points, with a three-pointer from Emily Acosta giving Ave a 16-13 lead after the first ten minutes. All five AMU starters scored in the first quarter, led by five points from Acosta and four points from Katie Houbolt.
The Gyrenes built their lead up to 14 points in the second quarter, outscoring the Buccaneers 16-5 over the first 8:30 of the quarter. UVI did not allow the Gyrenes to pull away at the end of the first half, scoring the final seven points of the frame to cut the AMU lead to 32-25 at the halftime. Virgin Islands got within single digits thanks to a three-pointer from Skyler Hatfield with eleven seconds remaining.
After UVI trimmed the Ave Maria lead to four points one minute into the third quarter, the Gyrene offense came to life. Ave Maria outscored UVI 27-7 in the final nine minutes of the quarter, ballooning their lead to 24 points at 60-36. The offensive onslaught continued into the fourth quarter, where the Gyrenes led by as many as 35 points and outscored the visitors, 24-15. In the second half, the Gyrenes shot 56.7 percent from the field and made five of their ten three-point attempts, while UVI was 0-for-7 from three-point distance.
All five Ave Maria started scored in double figures, led by 19 points and seven rebounds from Houbolt. Acosta followed with 14 points, five rebounds, and five assists, while Sarah Miller posted her fourth consecutive double-double with 14 points and 15 rebounds. Amanda Kasprzak and Danielle Weinmann rounded out AMU's starters, scoring 13 and 12 points, respectively. UVI was led by Laura Costello, who scored 14 points and pulled down eleven rebounds. UVI was forced into 16 turnovers, and made just three of their 13 three-point attempts.
Following Ave Maria's 4-0 start, the Gyrenes will travel to Pennsylvania for three games. The roadtrip begins on Wednesday, when AMU faces Penn State Greater Allegheny. Matchups with Point Park and Carlow will follow. Tipoff against PSUGA is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
