AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team got off to a great start on Tuesday night, but could not sustain the performance in a 79-72 loss to the Bobcats of St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens. The Gyrenes outscored the Bobcats in the first quarter and led by eight in the second, but were not able to keep the lead for 40 minutes on the road in AMU's first game of a three-game week.

Despite missing their first four shots and not scoring for more than three minutes, the Gyrenes held a lead at the end of the first quarter. That lead came following a 12-4 run to end the frame, which included a pair of three-pointers from Gianna Santacroce. A layup from Santacroce gave AMU a 17-16 lead with 48 seconds left, and Cathreveny Cherestal added a layup of her own to increase the lead to 19-16 at the end of the first. 

The second quarter also started well for the Gyrenes, who built an eight-point lead with 6:52 to play in the half behind back-to-back threes from Santacroce. From there, however, the Bobcats responded with a 14-0 run, flipping AMU's eight-point edge into a six-point lead of their own. St. Thomas would maintain the lead for the remainder of the second quarter, taking a 38-33 lead into the halftime break.

In the third quarter, St. Thomas never relinquished the lead, although the two teams did trade momentum on several occasions. The Bobcats led by eight on two occasions, 43-35 and 45-37. Down 45-37, the Gyrenes rallied with a 10-3 run, cutting the STU lead to one, 48-47, on a layup from Casey Humphrey with 2:11 to play. That layup would be AMU's last field goal of the quarter, as the Bobcats extended the lead to 53-48 in the final two minutes.

St. Thomas scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter, going up 61-48 with 7:47 to play. The Gyrenes would hang around, getting the STU lead back to five points with 2:24 on the clock, before the Bobcats were able to put the game away. 

Reigning Sun Conference Player of the Week Gianna Santacroce was once again the best player on the floor on Tuesday night. The freshman tied an AMU record with seven made three-pointers, powering her to a game-high 23 points. Colleen Shanahan added a double-double of 18 points and eleven rebounds, while Casey Humphrey (13) and Lavariah Armstead (11) were both in double figures from the guard position. In total, freshmen combined to score 68 of Ave Maria's 72 points.

In a busy week for the Gyrenes, the greatest challenge will likely come Thursday, as the No. 2 team in the nation comes to town in the form of the Southeastern University Fire. The Gyrenes played with the Fire back in November, falling by just 19 points to the perrenial Sun Conference powerhouse. Tipoff from Donahue Gym is scheduled for 8:30 p.m.