MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball clinched a home game in The Sun Conference Tournament on Thursday night with a decisive 79-59 victory over the St. Thomas University Bobcats. The Gyrenes, who will be either the third or fourth seed in next week's conference tournament, snapped a four-game losing streak to the Bobcats, who will be seeded second.
Early in the contest, the Gyrenes and Bobcats did not seperate much, with Ave Maria holding an 18-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. AMU jumped out to a 12-6 advantage thanks to an 8-0 run, but the Bobcats rallied to tie the game at 16. AMU's run was powered by three-pointers from Katie Houbolt and Macarena Corral, as well as an Amanda Kasprzak jumper. Sarah Miller ended the quarter's scoring on a layup with 31 seconds left, providing the Gyrenes with their two-point lead.
Despite trailing early in the frame, Ave Maria was able to extend their lead in the second quarter. The Gyrenes led by as many as 13 points, building the lead as large as 43-30 with as late as 1:44 to play in the half. The quarter included a 16-5 run that ended with AMU taking their first eleven-point lead. St. Thomas did score the final four points of the half, accounting for Ave Maria's 43-34 lead after 20 minutes.
In the first half, the Gyrenes shot 52.9 percent from the field, and made four of their seven three-point attempts. Houbolt and Corral both made a pair of three-pointers, while Miller led the Gyrenes with 13 points. On the other hand, St. Thomas missed eight of their twelve three-point attempts, and shot 39.4 percent from the field.
The third quarter was a low-scoring affair, with the Gyrenes outscoring the Bobcats 10-9. AMU held the Bobcats without a field goal for the first 5:42 of the period, and three times held a 13-point lead. St. Thomas made just three field goals in the third quarter, which allowed Ave to take a 53-43 lead with ten minutes to play.
Holding a ten-point lead entering the fourth quarter, the Gyrenes dominated the final ten minutes to put away the host Bobcats. Ave Maria scored 26 points in the last quarter, outscoring the Bobcats by ten points. An 18-6 run in the fourth turned an eleven-point lead into an insurmountable advantage for the Gyrenes late in the game.
In an all-conference caliber season, Miller added another stellar performance to her resume. The junior scored 21 points and pulled down 18 rebounds, making ten of her 15 shots. Three other Gyrenes were in double figures, led by 17 points from Danielle Weinmann. Houbolt and Corral added eleven and ten points, respectively. Four Bobcats scored at least eleven points, with a 13-point effort from Jaddah Knight leading the way.
Ave Maria will close the regular season on Saturday afternoon against Florida Memorial University. The Gyrenes need a win over the Lions, as well as a Coastal Georgia loss to Thomas, to earn the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament. Otherwise, the Gyrenes will host a rematch with Florida Memorial at the Tom Golisano Field House on Tuesday. Tipoff on Saturday is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
