AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team secured their seventh consecutive postseason berth Thursday night, thanks to a 75-64 win over the Warner University Royals at Donahue Gym. A balanced effort, with five scorers in double figures, earned Ave Maria their eighth conference win of the season, and the right to play in next week's Sun Conference Tournament.
Warner got much of what they wanted offensively in the opening quarter, making nine of their 14 field goal attempts in the opening ten minutes. Ave Maria did not have same offensive success, but mostly kept pace with the Royals thanks to AMU's ability to get to the free throw line. The Gyrenes shot seven free throws in the first, making six, while Warner did not get to the foul line. This edge helped AMU keep it close, trailing just 19-14 at the end of the first frame.
While the Royals continued to shoot the ball well in the second quarter, the Gyrenes warmed up to close the gap on the visitors. Both teams shot 50 percent from the field, and Ave Maria was again better from the foul line. Led by a perfect effort from Abbey Phibbs, who made all five of her shots in the opening 20 minutes, Ave Maria closed what was a six-point gap at one point, tying the game at 34 heading into the halftime break.
Neither team grabbed control coming out of halftime, as neither team led by more than three points in the third quarter. Warner cooled off considerably from their hot first half, shooting just 33.3 percent from the field, while Ave Maria made just five of their 18 shots. The lead changed hands four times, with Warner ending the quarter on an 8-2 run to hold a 50-47 lead.
Down by four with nine and a half minutes to play, the Gyrenes came to life in the fourth quarter. AMU went on a 13-2 run, led by five points from Grace Field and three-pointers from Gianna Santacroce and Monica Behrend. Warner would cut the Gyrene lead down to two on three occasions, but AMU had an answer each time, including a desperation three as the shot clock expired from Santacroce that put the game away in the final 80 seconds.
Phibbs and Santacroce led AMU with 15 points each, with Phibbs finishing a perfect 5-for-5 from the field. Casey Humphrey added 12 points, and Grace Field recorded her 18th double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Emily Rapacz also scored eleven points, and narrowly missed out on a double-double of her own with nine rebounds.
With the win, the Gyrenes clinch a spot in The Sun Conference Tournament, and now will have the opportunity to play for a home game. If Ave Maria can defeat Keiser on Saturday in West Palm Beach, the Gyrenes will earn a top-four finish in the league, and would host a conference tournament quarterfinal Tuesday night at Donahue Gym. AMU's opponent Saturday will be a Keiser team playing for their postseason lives. Tipoff from West Palm Beach is slated for 2:00 p.m.
