AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team earned their biggest win of 2022 on Tuesday night, stunning the Florida Memorial University Lions, 71-70, in overtime at Donahue Gym. Freshman Emily Rapacz made the three biggest plays of the night for the Gyrenes, hitting the go-ahead layup with 13 seconds left, then blocking two shots in the final three seconds to seal the victory.
Neither team gained a foothold in the first quarter, as the lead never expanded above four points. Florida Memorial's four-point leads of 8-4 and 10-6 were erased in less than a minute, and it remained a one-possession game for the remainder of the quarter. A three-pointer from Catie Reszel gave Ave Maria an 18-17 lead with 1:22 left, but a layup from Aliyah-Deen Ahmad with 54 seconds left ended the quarter with a 19-18 FMU lead.
The Gyrenes scored six straight to start the second quarter, but Ave Maria's five-point lead would disappear less than two minutes later. AMU would rebuild their lead to five points at 34-29, but Florida Memorial would score the final five points of the half to send the game to the break tied at 34. The Lions shot 1-of-10 from three-point territory in the second, part of a 2-for-28 day in total.
Ave Maria took their biggest lead of the game of the game to that point in the third quarter, going on a 7-0 run to take a 47-40 lead with 3:33 left in the quarter. The Emily Rapacz layup that put the Gyrenes up seven would be AMU's last field goal of the quarter, as the Lions would six the next six points before a free throw from Rapacz accounted for Ave Maria's 48-46 lead after three.
In the fourth quarter, the Gyrenes looked to be in good shape, leading by eight with five minutes to play and six with 1:29 on the clock. Helped by two turnovers and two missed shots, the Lions scored seven unanswered points, and took a 63-62 lead with 29 seconds left. Casey Humphrey was fouled with 17 seconds left, and made one of two free throws to tie the game. FMU's game-winning attempt missed in the final seconds, sending the game to overtime.
Overtime saw the Lions take leads of 67-63 and 69-65, but the Gyrenes rallied to tie the game at 69 after four free throws. Neither team made a field goal from there until Rapacz's go-ahead jumper with 13 seconds left gave the Gyrenes a one-point lead. The Lions had two chances to win in the final three seconds, but shots by Chantel Barnett and Monique Esbrand were both blocked by Rapacz.
Colleen Shanahan led the Gyrenes with 16 points and 16 rebounds, while Gianna Santacroce added 16 points and six rebounds. In addition to the game-winner, Rapacz had a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds. Lavariah Armstead added eleven points and six rebounds, and Casey Humphrey flirted with a double-double with seven points and eight assists.
Following Tuesday's dramatic game, the two teams will meet again on Thursday night in Miami Gardens, with tipoff at Florida Memorial scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
