LAKELAND, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team fought valiantly against one of the top 25 teams in the nation at the NAIA Division I level, but eventually fell 79-67 at The Furnace in Lakeland. Loyola entered the second day of the Southeastern Thanksgiving Classic ranked 24th in the NAIA Division I Coaches' Poll.
The first quarter saw the lead bounce between the Wolfpack and the Gyrenes, with Ave Maria leading by as many as three points and Loyola building a five-point lead. AMU cut into Loyola's lead with 52 seconds left in the frame, as Hunter Chambers knocked down a three-pointer to account for the 21-19 lead the Wolfpack took into the second quarter.
Loyola outscored the Gyrenes by three points in the second quarter, and went into halftime with a 39-34 lead. AMU got to within two early in the quarter, but the Wolfpack were able to extend the margin up to eleven points. Ave Maria outscored Loyola 12-6 in the final seven minutes of the half, allowing the Gyrenes to trail by just five at halftime.
Ave Maria took the lead during the third quarter, as a Danielle Weinmann layup gave AMU a 44-43 lead with 5:08 to go in the frame. The Gyrenes also led 46-45, but fell victim to a 14-2 run that ended the quarter. The Wolfpack scored 14 of the final 16 points in the quarter to take a 59-48 lead heading to the fourth.
AMU got to within seven points with just over eight minutes to play, but could not get any closer against their nationally ranked foes. After the deficit was cut to seven, Loyola scored on four consecutive possessions to put the game away.
Sarah Miller had her usual double-double for the Gyrenes, scoring 14 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. Weinmann and Amanda Kasprzak each added 13 points in the losing effort for the Gyrenes. Miller's 14 points tied for the game high with Loyola's Kaila Anthony, who led four Wolfpack double figure scorers.
The Gyrenes return to Sun Conference play on Thursday evening, when the Warner University Royals come to town. The women's game will serve as the opener of a men's and women's doubleheader, and is scheduled for a 5:30 tipoff.
