THOMASVILLE, Ga.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team got a much-needed Sun Conference victory on Saturday, toppling the Night Hawks of Thomas University, 57-44, in Thomasville. Thw Gyrenes rode a dominant third quarter to their seventh conference win of the season, which also ensured the Gyrenes' second consecutive season with a record above .500.
Ave Maria started slowly on the road, making just of their 17 shots in the first quarter. The slow start allowed Thomas to take the early lead, holding a 12-8 edge after the first ten minutes. Thomas scored eight of those 12 points during an 8-2 run, turning a 5-4 lead for AMU into a 12-7 edge for Thomas before a Monica Behrend free throw pulled the Gyrenes back within four with under a minute to play in the quarter.
AMU turned the tide in the second quarter, as the Night Hawks were the team that went cold. The Night Hawks missed eleven of their 13 shots, including all seven of their long distance tries. The Gyrenes took the lead for the first time since their 5-4 edge on an Isabella Starzyk layup, then tied the game again before halftime when Mckenzi Lyons converted on an and-one.
The difference in Saturday's game was the third quarter, as Ave Maria outscored the Night Hawks 25-5. AMU made eight of their 15 field goal attempts following halftime, and held the Night Hawks to just two makes on 13 tries. After leading by just one, 26-25, with seven minutes to play, AMU went on a 21-2 run to close the quarter, extending the lead to 20 points with just ten minutes to play.
Thomas outscored the Gyrenes by seven points, 17-10, in the fourth quarter, but the majority of that difference came in the final 90 seconds, with the game basically decided. The Night Hawks did trim the Ave Maria lead to 12 with 4:43 to play, but the Gyrenes responded with seven unanswered points to snuff out any chances of a gargantuan comeback from the home team.
Grace Field continued to be a force at both ends of the floor for Ave Maria, registering yet another double-double. The sophomore scored 14 points, including six free throws without a miss, and pulled down 16 rebounds. Mckenzi Lyons was the other Gyrene to hit double figures, as the freshman needed just 19 minutes on the floor to score ten points off the bench.
Next week will mark Ave Maria's final non-conference game of the season, as AMU exits Sun Conference play for the final time. The Gyrenes will host the University of Fort Lauderdale at Donahue Gym on Friday. The game is a rematch of AMU's season opener, which saw the Gyrenes claim a dominant 90-40 win in Davie on October 27.
