LAKE WALES, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team came up one possession short on Friday, falling by three points, 78-75, to Olivet Nazarene University in neutral site action on the campus of Warner University in Lake Wales. The Gyrenes erased a 13-point deficit to lead with just over a minute to play, but could not get the needed stops down the stretch to emerge with the non-conference victory.

Olivet Nazarene came out firing in the first quarter, racing out to a 13-point lead less than eight minutes into the contest. After AMU held an early 3-2 lead, ONU scored 21 of the next 28 points to claim a 23-10 lead. Ave Maria came up with a huge run in the final minute of the frame, as five points from Abbey Phibbs and a three-pointer from Gianna Santacroce allowed the Gyrenes to cut the Olivet Nazarene lead to 23-18.

Ave Maria's run to end the first quarter seemed to stabilize the contest, as the teams remained relatively even throughout the second quarter. For the second quarter in a row, the Gyrenes were at their best in the closing moments of the frame. Down by six with under two minutes to play in the half, Ave Maria proceeded to score the final six points of the quarter, thanks to four free throws and a layup from Casey Humphrey on AMU's final shot of the half.

In the third quarter, ONU looked to have regained control, holding the Gyrenes to a game-low eleven points. AMU turned the ball over six times and made just five field goals in the first ten minutes after halftime, including a stretch of more than four minutes without a point for AMU. The defensive effort from ONU allowed the Tigers to build a nine-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. 

Trailing by 12 points with less than seven minutes remaining in the game, Ave Maria stormed back, going on a 19-6 run to take a 71-70 lead with 2:15 remaining. The lead would change hands three times in the final two minutes, with ONU twice taking the lead on a three-pointer. The second of those came with 52 seconds left, which would prove to be the clincher. AMU did have a chance to tie on the final possession, but a three-pointer missed the mark. 

Gianna Santacroce made a major impact off the bench for the Gyrenes, hitting four three-pointers and scoring a game-high 22 points. Santacroce led five Gyrenes in double figures, with four other players (Mckenzi Lyons, Casey Humphrey, Abbey Phibbs and Grace Field) scoring between ten and 12 points. Field led the Gyrenes on the glass, pulling down eleven rebounds to go with her ten points.

The Gyrenes will have a chance to leave Lake Wales with a split, as Ave Maria returns to the floor Saturday afternoon. The opponent will be the Pirates of Park University Gilbert from Arizona, who fell by six points to host Warner University on Friday. The final Ave Maria University sporting event of the calendar year will tip off at noon from the Turner Athletic Center in Lake Wales.