MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team opened 2021 on the road on Saturday afternoon, meeting up with the Bobcats of St. Thomas University. The Gyrenes could not overcome the second place Bobcats at the Fernandez Family Center, dropping a 77-62 decision. The loss came despite a career performance from senior Hunter Chambers.

St. Thomas raced out to a 16-4 lead in the first six and a half minutes of the contest, as the Bobcats forced six turnovers from the Gyrenes in the early moments. Ave Maria answered in the final three and a half minutes with a 10-3 run, keyed by three-pointers from Catie Reszel and Monica Behrend. AMU's defensive clamped down, forcing the Bobcats to miss four of their final five shots of the quarter and cutting the lead to 19-14.

Ave Maria continued their momentum in the early moments of the second quarter, going on a 12-3 run to take their first, and final, lead of the game, 26-25. However, it was the Bobcats that took control entering halftime by going on a run of their own. St. Thomas scored the final ten points of the quarter, taking a 30-30 tie and turning it into a 40-30 lead entering the break. 

In the third quarter, the Gyrenes cut the St. Thomas lead down to two, going on a ten-point run on five points each from Chambers and Megan Allen to get within two points with 7:33 remaining in the quarter. From there, St. Thomas responded by outscoring the Gyrenes 18-8 to open up a 12-point lead at the end of the third quarter. That run included a 9-1 stretch that immediately followed the Megan Allen and-one that initially cut the STU lead to two points.

The Bobcats pulled away in the fourth quarter, building a lead of as many as 20 points in the final ten minutes. The Gyrenes never again got back within 15 points, as the Bobcats moved to 5-1 in conference play, good for a tie for second place.

Chambers had the best game of her AMU career on Saturday afternoon, scoring 27 points on 10-of-19 shooting. The senior also pulled down six rebounds in the losing effort. Chambers' scoring included four three-pointers on seven attempts. Megan Allen just missed out on a double-double, scoring nine points and grabbing ten rebounds. Gianni Domond was the leading scorer for St. Thomas, putting up 22 points and nine rebounds. Anari Dozier followed with 18 points, while Kayla Rodriguez was also in double figures with eleven.

AMU remains on the road for their first game next week, with the Warriors of Webber International University hosting the Gyrenes. It is the second meeting of the season between the two teams, as the Warriors earned a 63-51 victory in Ave Maria on November 12. The second of the three meetings is set for 5:30 p.m. in Babson Park, and will be the opener of a women's and men's doubleheader.