AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team, powered by a historic day from senior Sarah Miller, moved to 5-1 in Sun Conference play with a 72-67 victory over the Bobcats of St. Thomas University. With two weeks to go in the first half of the conference schedule, the Gyrenes now sit alone in second place, trailing only undefeated Southeastern.

A major run helped the Gyrenes take an early lead in the first quarter. St. Thomas scored ten of the game's first 15 points in the first three and a half minutes to claim a 10-5 lead. In the final 6:30, Ave Maria outscored the Bobcats 15-4, and built a six-point lead of 20-14. That run included a 7-0 run to end the frame, with five of the seven points coming from Macarena Corral, who knocked down a three-pointer and made a buzzer beating layup.

Ave Maria built their lead to 15 points in the second quarter, but a late run from the Bobcats cut the lead to four points. The Gyrenes led by as many as 15, 33-18, with 6:10 to play in the quarter. However, St. Thomas went on an 11-0 run to conclude the frame, although neither team was able to score in the final two and a half minutes. AMU held a 33-29 lead entering the halftime break. 

Miller had a double-double at halftime, scoring 12 points and pulling down 13 rebounds. Powered by her five points at the end of the first quarter, Corral added eight points to aid the Gyrenes. Four Bobcats scored between four and eight points in the opening 20 minutes, led by eight points and six rebounds from Anari Dozier.

St. Thomas took their first lead since the first quarter midway through the third, and led by as many as four points. The game remained within four points for much of the third, with the Bobcats taking a 50-49 lead into the fourth quarter. Dozier made a layup at the end of the frame, which provided St. Thomas with the lead heading into the final ten minutes.

The Gyrenes trailed by five points with as little as 6:48 to play, but were able to tie the game at 61 with 4:11 left. A three-pointer from Taylor Allen gave Ave Maria the lead with 3:23 to play, and the Gyrenes were able to stretch the lead to six with 1:03 left. However, two AMU turnovers in the final minute gave the Bobcats a chance to tie the game. A missed layup with ten seconds left was corraled by Miller, and three free throws in the final five seconds put the game away for the Gyrenes.

Miller, who scored a team-high 23 points, broke two school records in the victory, as the senior grabbed 25 rebounds and shot 90 percent from the field (9-10). Miller broke her previous school record of 24 rebounds, and became the first player in AMU history to shoot 90 percent from the field with eight or more made field goals. St. Thomas' leading scorer was Dozier, who scored 19 points and pulled down eight rebounds.

AMU returns to the court on Thursday, when the Gyrenes take on the Keiser University Seahawks at the Countess de Hoernle Student Life Center in West Palm Beach. Ave Maria will play Keiser and Johnson and Wales next week, as the Gyrenes look to remain near the top of The Sun Conference standings.