LAKELAND, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team cut a 16-point second half lead down to four, but could not come all the way back in a 69-59 loss to Bethel University Tuesday afternoon at The Furnace in Lakeland. Bethel entered the matchup receiving votes in the newest edition of the NAIA Coaches' Poll, marking Ave Maria's second consecutive contest against a nationally-recognized opponent.
Ave Maria immediately found themselves in a hole against Bethel, as the Wildcats jumped out to a 14-2 lead in the first five minutes of the contest. Three-pointers from Maria Kuhlman and Mary Smith cut the lead to six in the next two minutes, but Bethel was able to push the lead back to 12. AMU got the margin to seven before the end of the quarter, thanks to a Saniya Hymes layup and another Kuhlman three.
The second quarter seemed to follow a reversed script to the opening frame - Ave Maria closed the gap, while Bethel surged late to push their lead to double figures. Kuhlman hit yet another three on AMU's first possession of the second, cutting the Bethel lead to 22-18. From there, Bethel outscored the Gyrenes 15-8 for the remainder of the half, taking a 37-26 lead into the halftime break.
Less than six minutes into the second half, Bethel had widened their lead to 16 points, going up 50-34 on an Anya Patterson three-pointer. The Wildcats' lead remained in double figures for the remainder of the quarter, and got back up to 16 in the final minute of the quarter before Emily Rapacz made two free throws to get Bethel's lead down to 54-40 at the end of the third.
Bethel seemed to have the game in control for much of the fourth, leading by 13 with 4:05 to play. AMU did not go down quietly, ripping off an 11-2 run to cut the Bethel lead to 61-57 with 2:29 on the clock. However, the Wildcats got a layup on their next possession to get the lead back to six points, and the Gyrenes could never put together enough scores and stops to complete the comeback on one of the nation's top 40 teams.
Maria Kuhlman was the focal point of the Ave Maria offense, making five three-pointers and three free throws to finish with 18 points. Kuhlman was also Ave Maria's leader on the glass, entering double-double territory with eight rebounds. The only other Gyrene in double figures was Emily Rapacz, who finished with 12.
The Gyrenes will next take the floor at home at the Gyrene Christmas Classic in Ave Maria. Four teams will converge on Ave Maria for the Classic, including Florida National, Lawrence Tech, and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. AMU's first opponent in the Classic will be in-state rival Florida National, with that game set for a 5:00 pm tipoff on December 28. The midwestern matchup between Lawrence Tech and Saint Mary-of-the-Woods will precede that game at 3:00 p.m.
