AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team shut down the Thomas University Night Hawks in the second half, holding the visitors to 19 points in the final 20 minutes in a 66-52 Sun Conference victory at Donahue Gym. The win moved the Gyrenes alone into sixth place in the league standings, a spot that would put Ave Maria in The Sun Conference Tournament for the sixth consecutive season.

Thomas took an early lead on the Gyrenes, benefitting from a slow AMU start. The Gyrenes made just three of 13 shots in the first quarter, with two of those three shots being three-pointers from Gianna Santacroce. Thomas led by as many as five points, and logged the final two field goals of the opening frame to claim a 17-13 lead heading into the second quarter. 

Ave Maria outscored Thomas 17-16 in the second quarter, but still found themselves trailing at halftime. Thomas held their biggest lead of the game early in the second, leading 23-16 with 8:11 to play. The Gyrenes answered with a 9-2 run to even the score at 25, and eventually took the lead back on a Gianna Santacroce three, capping off a 14-4 run. The Santacroce three with 4:47 remaining would be AMU's final points of the half, as Thomas scored six straight to go back on top, 33-30. 

The third quarter proved to be the difference, as the Gyrenes surged in the final five minutes to take control of the game. With the score tied 41-41 with 5:06 to play, the Gyrenes would end the third on a 12-2 run, and would hold Thomas without a field goal for more than four and a half minutes. Santacroce would again play a critical role for the Gyrenes during the key run, making two three-pointers to held AMU hold a 53-43 lead after three.

Leading by ten, the Gyrenes kept up the pressure in the fourth quarter, and were able to cruise to the double digit win. Thomas missed 13 of their 17 shot attempts in the final 20 minutes, including all four of their three-pointers. In the second half, Ave Maria held Thomas to 25 percent shooting (9 for 36), and the Night Hawks missed on each of their six long distance tries.

Coming off the bench, Gianna Santacroce led the Gyrenes with 18 points, which included five three-pointers on nine attempts. Colleen Shanahan added a double-double of 13 points and eleven rebounds, while Emily Rapacz added 13 points of her own while pulling down seven rebounds. Both Shanahan and Rapacz both had three blocked shots on the day, as well. 

The first week of Feburary is Ave Maria's break from The Sun Conference schedule, with the team's next league affair nearly two weeks away. AMU will play their final non-conference game of the season next week, as the Tigers of Edward Waters University come to Donahue Gym. The Gyrenes beat the Tigers in Jacksonville, 78-74, back on November 29. Tipoff in Ave Maria is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.