AVE MARIA, Fla. - The Ave Maria University women's basketball team could not overcome Keiser University's rebounding advantage on Wednesday evening, and dropped a 72-56 decision to the Seahawks at the Rhodora J. Donahue Academy gymnasium. The visiting Seahawks pulled down 26 offensive rebounds in The Sun Conference matchup, which turned into a decisive 17 points.

The Gyrenes jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter, scoring seven of the first nine points to lead 7-2 just over four minutes into the contest. AMU's also held a 10-6 lead with 3:29 remaining in the quarter, following a three-pointer from Taylor Allen. Keiser then proceeded to score ten unanswered points in the final three minutes of the first, turning a 10-6 deficit into a 16-10 lead. The Seahawks did much of their damage from the free throw line, making six straight free throws at the end of the frame.

Ave Maria hung around for much of the second quarter, cutting the Keiser lead to two points on two occasions. AMU was able to close the gap thanks to a pair of three-pointers from Taylor Lopez. However, the Seahawks again went on a late run, scoring eleven straight points to extend the lead from two to 13, eventually holding a nine-point edge, 34-25, at the halftime break.

Keiser broke the game open in the opening moments of the second half, going on a 18-4 run over the first seven minutes of the quarter to take a 52-29 lead over the Gyrenes. Ave Maria rallied somewhat in the final three minutes, outscoring the Seahawks 12-4 to cut the lead back to 15 at the end of the quarter. Megan Allen was the focal point of AMU's mini-run, scoring seven points in those final three minutes.

In the fourth quarter, Ave Maria got the Keiser lead down to 12 with 5:19 to play, and did so again at the 3:03 mark, but could not come any closer. On each occasion, Keiser would go on a small run (5-0 the first time, 4-0 the second time) to break any momentum the Gyrenes had and earn their sixth win of the 2020-21 season. 

Taylor Allen was Ave Maria's leading scorer in the losing effort, scoring 15 points. Her sister, Megan Allen, added 13 points and six rebounds, all of which were on the offensive glass. Taylor Lopez tied a career-high with nine points after knocking down three three-pointers. Hunter Chambers was AMU's leader on the glass, grabbing seven rebounds, all in the second half. Keiser was paced by 21 points and eight rebounds from Antigonie Sanabria. 

Wednesday's game was the last in 2020 for the Gyrenes, who will take the court next on January 2, 2021. On Saturday, Ave Maria will head across Alligator Alley for a meeting with the St. Thomas University Bobcats in Miami Gardens. Tipoff between AMU and STU is scheduled for 2:00 p.m., the opener of a women's and men's basketball doubleheader.