AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team won their first contest of the Gyrene Christmas Classic - and their last at Donahue Gym - Thursday evening with a 72-57 victory over the Conquistadors of Florida National University. The Gyrenes used a surge in the second quarter to take control of the contest, which will mark AMU's last playing on the Donahue Academy campus. Earlier in the day, Lawrence Tech knocked off Saint Mary of the Woods College in the opening game of the Classic.

It was a slow start in AMU's first contest in more than a week, as the Gyrenes missed eight of their first nine three-pointers, and found themselves trailing Florida National, 11-8. AMU did finish the first frame strong, scoring the final five points courtesy of a Gianna Santacroce three-pointer and an Elena Barnes layup on the final Gyrene possession. That surge in the final 40 seconds propelled the Gyrenes to a 13-11 lead after ten minutes.

Ave Maria continued their momentum into the second quarter, as Florida National was kept off the scoreboard for more than five minutes. In that span, Ave Maria scored the quarter's first 15 points, accounting for a 20-0 run including the final points of the first quarter. The Conquistadors were able to close the gap to eleven before the end of the half, but Ave Maria still took a 36-25 lead into the halftime break.

The Gyrenes kept control of the lead throughout the third quarter. Florida National did pull the AMU lead down to seven, but AMU immediately responded with a Maria Kuhlman three-pointer to push the lead back to double figures. FNU got the lead down to seven again later in the quarter, but a Casey Humphrey layup and a free throw by Katie Ambrose got AMU's lead back to ten, 54-44, with ten minutes remaining in the contest. 

Any hope of a Florida National comeback was snuffed out within the first minute of the fourth quarter, when a layup from Allison Fifield and a three-pointer from Santacroce extended Ave Maria's lead to 15 points. The Conquistadors would get no closer than 12 points for the remainder of the contest, allowing the Gyrenes to cruise to the home victory.

Juniors Colleen Shanahan and Casey Humphrey led the way for the Gyrenes, both nearly notching double-doubles. Shanahan led the Gyrenes with 14 points and pulled down nine rebounds, while Humphrey added eleven points and eight steals. Maria Kuhlman (11) and Emily Rapacz were both in double figures, as well.

Friday afternoon will be a momentous occasion for the women's basketball program, and the University as a whole. Ave Maria will play their first game in the new Tom Golisano Field House, which will mark the first basketball game played on the AMU campus since February 25, 2020. Game 3 of the Gyrene Christmas Classic will see AMU host Lawrence Tech, with tipoff set for 2:00 p.m. A contest between Florida National and Saint Mary of the Woods will follow at 4:00 p.m.