AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team went toe-to-toe with the seventh-ranked team in the nation for most of Monday's game at Donahue Gym, but could not overcome 24 turnovers in a 72-58 defeat at the hands of the Wildcats of Indiana Wesleyan University. The loss, which ended an eight game winning streak for the Gyrenes, saw the Wildcats outscore AMU 27-13 on turnovers, accounting for the final margin.

The Gyrenes played right with the Wildcats in the first quarter, trailing by just five at the end of the frame despite eight turnovers. After going down by scores of 8-2 and 10-4, Ave Maria went on an 8-0 run, with an Elena Barnes layup giving the Gyrenes what would prove to be their only lead of the day, 12-10. IWU scored the final seven points of the quarter, with a late three from Izzy Reed putting the Wildcats up by five.

Monday's second quarter was another balanced frame, with Indiana Wesleyan only outscoring the Gyrenes by two points, 16-14. The Wildcats stretched their lead to nine points, 21-12, 80 seconds into the quarter. Ave Maria responded with a 13-5, cutting the Indiana Wesleyan lead down to one. The Wildcats again finished the quarter strong, going on a 7-1 run to take a 33-26 lead into the halftime break. 

Indiana Wesleyan started to put some distance between themselves and the Gyrenes in the third quarter. The Wildcats were able to outscore the hosts by a margin of nine points, 22-13, extending their lead to its largest to that point in the game at 16 points. Indiana Wesleyan knocked down four three-pointers in the third quarter, and forced seven more Ave Maria turnovers.

Ave Maria tried to make it interesting in the fourth quarter, getting the IWU lead down to ten points. The Gyrenes went on a 11-2 run, capped off by a Gianna Santacroce three-pointer that made it 64-54 with 3:12 to play. The Gyrenes would come no closer, however, as Indiana Wesleyan scored the next five points to ensure no comeback attempt from Ave Maria.

Once again, Grace Field proved to be the driving force for the Gyrenes. The sophomore posted her fifth double-double of the season, scoring 19 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. Field, the only Gyrene player in double figures, neared triple-double territory with six steals and four assists. Her six steals tied for fifth most in a single game in school history. 

There will be little rest for the Gyrenes, who turn around and play another foe from the midwest less than 19 hours after the conclusion of Monday's game. Ave Maria will welcome the Cardinals of Concordia University from Michigan to southwest Florida for the final game before the Christmas holiday. Tipoff of the non-conference matchup is slated for 2:00 p.m. at Donahue Gym in Ave Maria.