AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team used a fourth quarter surge to put away the Royals of Warner University on Thursday night, earning a 63-57 win at the Tom Golisano Field House. The victory moved the Gyrenes to 3-1 in Sun Conference play, and gave AMU their tenth win of the 2019-2020 season.

Each of the first three quarters saw the teams seperated by no more than two points, beginning with a 17-15 Ave Maria lead after the first ten minutes. AMU never trailed in the first quarter, jumping out to an 8-2 lead in the first three minutes of the contest. Warner cut the Gyrene lead to two points on six seperate occasions, but were not able to even the score before the end of the frame.

The Gyrenes again did not trail in the second quarter, but Warner was able to tie the game by the end of the frame. Ave Maria led by as many as eight points, 30-22, with 1:57 to play. The Royals then proceeded to score the final eight points of the half, culminating in a three-pointer by Avery Fogel with 34 seconds left that sent the game to halftime tied at 30.

Sarah Miller logged a double-double in the first half alone, scoring 13 points and pulling down ten rebounds. Seven of Miller's ten rebounds came on the offensive glass. A pair of three-pointers from Amanda Kasprzak accounted for six of the senior's eight points in the opening half. Warner was led in the first half by Alana St. Clair, who had ten points.

After scoring the final eight points of the first half, Warner scored the first seven points of the third quarter to finish off a 15-0 run. The Royals led 37-30 with 8:47 to play, and led or were tied for most of the third. Ave Maria retook the lead on a Kasprzak three with 41 seconds left, but Fogel knocked down a triple of her own to even the score at 48 heading into the fourth quarter.

Ave Maria scored the first five points of the fourth quarter, and never surrendered the lead in the final frame. The Gyrenes led by just one with 1:15 to play, but a three-pointer from Georgia Slay and an ensuing turnover allowed Ave Maria to seal the victory. AMU made five of their six free throw attempts in the final minute to put away the Royals. 

Miller finished with 19 points and 16 rebounds to lead Ave Maria in both categories, while Kasprzak made all four of her three-point attempts en route to 17 points. Slay knocked down four three-pointers of her own to finish with 12 points, and Macarena Corral added eleven points and dished out five assists.

AMU will look to move to 4-1 in conference play on Saturday afternoon, when the Gyrenes head to Babson Park for a meeting with the Warriors of Webber International University. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.