LAKELAND, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team fell victim to a three-point shooting barrage from the Southeastern University Fire, falling 98-47 on the road in Lakeland. The Fire knocked down 14 of their 22 three-point attempts in the victory, which saw Southeastern move to 23-0 and the Gyrenes fall to 18-6.
Southeastern never trailed on Saturday, jumping out to an 8-0 lead in the first two and a half minutes of the game. The Fire hit five threes in the opening ten minutes, opening up a 26-4 lead at the end of the first quarter. A pair of layups provided Ave Maria's scoring in the opening frame, with Lauren Gillingham and Sarah Miller providing the points.
The second quarter was more evenly matched, with the Fire outscoring the Gyrenes 17-13. Ave Maria was able to score the final four points of the quarter on two free throws from Gillingham and a short jumper from Mallory Burton, which supplied the halftime score of 43-17.
In the second half, the Fire put up 55 points, and scored nearly half of those points on nine makes from three-point territory. Southeastern's three-point shooting was led by Emma Karamovic, who was 7-for-10 from long distance. Karamovic led Southeastern with 26 points, and was one of five Fire players in double figures. Marlena Schmidt posted a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds, while Halee Printz scored 19 points of 8-for-9 shooting.
For Ave Maria, Miller led the way with 15 points, and Gillingham chipped in eleven. Miller's 15-point outing included the first three-pointer of her Ave career, one of four made on the afternoon by the Gyrenes. Ave was more efficient in the second half, shooting 34.5 percent from the field after a 22.2 percent mark in the first 20 minutes.
The Gyrenes enter a crucial week in Sun Conference play, with Thomas University and the College of Coastal Georgia on Thursday and Saturday. The Gyrenes sit just one game back in the loss column to the Mariners, and could enter into third place with a victory in Brunswick on Saturday. The first game of the week, against the Thomas Night Hawks, is scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. on Thursday in Thomasville.
