AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team took the Webber International University Warriors to the limit on Saturday afternoon, but fell one bucket short in a 51-48 loss at the Rhodora J. Donahue Academy gymnasium. The Gyrenes had two chances to tie the game in the closing seconds, but could not send the game to overtime. Prior to the contest, AMU honored the members of the women's basketball program's senior class.
Webber led for the majority of the first quarter, which saw the Warriors build a 10-4 lead in the opening seven minutes of the contest. The Webber lead would be cut to three points on a three-pointer from Monica Behrend, but a free throw from Paulette Burke allowed WIU to take a 13-9 lead into the second quarter.
The Gyrenes caught fire midway through the second quarter, going on an 11-1 run to take their first lead of the game. The AMU run was powered by the three-point shooting of the Gyrenes, with Hunter Chambers making two long distance tries and Behrend making one. Webber did respond to the Gyrene flurry by finishing the half on a 9-2 run, including back-to-back layups from Samantha Pacheco and Dasia Wandick that supplied the Warriors with a 27-24 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, Webber outscored the Gyrenes 17-10 to take a ten-point lead into the fourth quarter. Over the first six and a half minutes of the frame, the Warriors went on a 15-5 run, giving the visitors their biggest lead of the afternoon at 42-29. The Warriors also led 44-31, but a three-pointer from Behrend trimmed WIU's lead back to ten points with ten minutes remaining.
Ave Maria made it interesting in the fourth quarter, chipping into the Warriors' lead throughout the frame. Ave Maria came all the way back to tie the game at 47 with 3:59 to play, finishing a 16-3 run for the Gyrenes. Webber scored the next four points to reclaim the lead, but a free throw from Megan Allen with 51 seconds left made it a one score game. After a defensive stop, the Gyrenes had two three-point attempts in the final ten seconds that could have sent the game to overtime, but neither could find the mark.
Off the bench, Monica Behrend was the game's leading scorer with 17 points. Hunter Chambers and Syanne Rowe both narrowly missed out on double-doubles, with Chambers posting 14 points and eight rebounds and Rowe recording ten points with nine rebounds. The trio of Behrend, Chambers, and Rowe combined for 41 of Ave Maria's 48 points on the day. Webber was led by Eletra Graham, who had 15 points.
Three games await the Gyrenes next week in the final week of the regular season. The first of these games comes Tuesday night, when the St. Thomas University Bobcats come to town in a game that could wind up being a preview of The Sun Conference Tournament. Tipoff at the Rhodora J. Donahue Academy gymnasium is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
