AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team dominated from start to finish on Thursday night, cruising past Thomas University 85-40 at the Tom Golisano Field House. The Gyrenes never trailed in picking up their tenth conference victory, and clinched a spot in The Sun Conference Tournament for the third season in a row. The win marked the biggest margin of victory for the Gyrenes in a conference game in program history.

The Gyrenes wasted no time in dominating the contest, jumping out to a 20-2 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Night Hawks did not score for nearly five minutes to start the game, as Ave Maria scored the first ten points. After starting the quarter on a 10-0 run, AMU responded to the lone Thomas bucket by going on another 10-0 run, stretching their lead to 18 points after just ten minutes of action.

Ave Maria continued to pour it on in the second quarter, outscoring the Night Hawks 23-10. The Gyrenes again closed the quarter on a run, scoring 15 of the final 17 points to turn an 18-point lead into a 31-point rout, 43-12, at halftime. AMU's first half success was keyed by forcing 14 Thomas turnovers, as well as holding the Night Hawks to just five made field goals. Danielle Weinmann nearly outscored Thomas by herself in the opening 20 minutes, scoring ten points and pulling down seven rebounds.

The second half was more of the same for the Gyrenes, as AMU outscored the Night Hawks 42-28. Ave Maria's three-point shooting came alive in the final 20 minutes, with Macarena Corral and Katie Houbolt shooting a combined 4-for-5 from beyond the arc. The Gyrenes outscored the Night Hawks 17-13 in the third quarter and 25-15 in the fourth, and continued to build their lead up to the 45-point final score.

Three Gyrenes scored in double figures, led by 15 points from Weinmann. Corral added 13 points, including nine on three made three-pointers. Sarah Miller posted a double-double for the Gyrenes, grabbing 13 rebounds to go with her ten points. In total, 12 of the 13 Gyrenes that saw action made at least one field goal, and the team combined to assist on 19 of 26 made baskets. Thomas was led offensively by Jewel Montisano, who made four three-pointers on eight attempts en route to 12 points.

With the victory, the Gyrenes won their 20th game for the second season in a row, which marks the first time since the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons where Ave Maria has posted back-to-back 20 win seasons. The Gyrenes also clinched a winning record in conference for the second season in a row, another feat which last happened in 2014. 

AMU has a critical conference game on Saturday, which is also Senior Day at the Tom Golisano Field House. The Gyrenes will host the College of Coastal Georgia in a game that may determine who earns the No. 3 seed in The Sun Conference Tournament. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.