MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Ave Maria University women's basketball team closed out the weekend strong beating the Middle Georgia Knights 81-67. The win made Ave Maria 1-1 in the Southern States Athletic Conference/SUN Conference Challenge, which the SUN Conference ultimately lost 10-6.

The Gyrenes started off hot in the first quarter, getting up to a 9-0 lead in the first four minutes. Unfortunately, the Knights clawed their way back and took the lead from Ave Maria, leading 18-17 after the first quarter.

In the second, the Gyrenes took control of the game and dominated the Knights. Ave Maria put up 25 points, tying a season-high for points in a quarter. The Gyrenes scored 25 points in the third quarter against the Virgin Islands and the first quarter against Fort Lauderdale. Ave Maria also stepped up on defense and held Middle Georgia to only 13 and went into the locker room up 42-31.

Coming out of the half, the two teams traded buckets throughout the whole third quarter and matched each other shot for shot. The Knights actually outscored the Gyrenes in the third, 20-19, but thanks to the very dominant second quarter, Ave Maria still had a 10-point lead heading into the final ten minutes of play.

In the final quarter, Ave Maria continued to hound Middle Georgia, putting up 20 points and cruising to an 81-67 victory.

The Gyrenes had three players score in double digits Saturday with Grace Field leading the team with 14 points and Lavariah Armstead and Gianna Santacroce tied right behind her with 13 points.

With the win, Ave Maria improves to 3-1 on the season. The Gyrenes open SUN Conference play in their next game when they travel up to Babson Park to take on the Webber Warriors Thursday, November 10. The Gyrenes will finally come back home when they host the Southeastern Fire Saturday, November 12.