AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team won their eighth consecutive game to start the season on Saturday afternoon, thanks to a 77-55 victory over the Lions of Florida Memorial University. The Gyrenes outscored the Lions in each of the game's three quarters, rolling to a victory in The Sun Conference opener for both teams.
The first quarter was the lowest-scoring period of the day, as Ave Maria held a 14-6 lead following the opening ten minutes. AMU held the visiting Lions to just three field goals in the first quarter, all of which came in the paint. The Gyrenes posted mini-runs of 7-0 and 5-0 in the frame, both of which featured a three-pointer from Taylor Allen. A jumper from Megan Allen gave AMU an eight-point lead exiting the first.
Conversely, the second quarter was the highest scoring of the afternoon, with 43 total points allowing the Gyrenes to extend their lead to 36-27 at the half. Florida Memorial cut the Gyrene lead to as low as four points on two occasions, but were met both times with three points from the Gyrenes - first an and-one from Megan Allen, then a three-pointer from Macarena Corral.
AMU shot better than 50 percent from the field in the first half, connecting on 15 of their 29 field goal attempts. Six Gyrenes had between four and eight points in the opening 20 minutes, with Sarah Miller leading the way with eight. The Gyrenes also held a 16-10 edge in rebounding, led by seven from Miller.
The Gyrenes began to pull away in the third quarter, outscoring the Lions 21-16 to extend their lead to 14 points. The key in the third was an 11-0 run for Ave Maria, which allowed the Gyrenes to turn a five-point game into a 16-point lead. A Taylor Allen three-pointer, two and-ones from Miller and Syanne Rowe, and a jumper from Corral helped AMU take a 57-43 lead into the final quarter.
Ave Maria put the Lions away down the stretch, as the Gyrenes' lead never dipped below 17 points following a Taylor Allen three that led off the action. The Gyrenes led by as many as 23 points in the fourth quarter, as AMU closed out a 1-0 start to the conference season.
Three Gyrenes were in double figures, led by 17 points and 15 rebounds from Miller. Danielle Weinmann chipped in 16 points, and Taylor Allen made four of her five three-point attempts to log a 12-point effort. The leading scorer for Florida Memorial was Airneisha Gamble, who evened Miller's total of 17 points.
The next game for the Gyrenes will come on Thursday, as the conference road schedule begins with a visit to Thomas University. Tipoff at the TU Gymnasium in Thomasville is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
