WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team won in the postseason for the second year in a row, defeating the Keiser University Seahawks, 59-56, in The Sun Conference Tournament quarterfinals Tuesday night in West Palm Beach. Ave Maria also defeated the Seahawks on the road last season in the conference tournament, and will now advance to play top-seeded Florida Memorial in the semifinals Friday night.
Ave Maria jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the first two minutes of the game Tuesday night, but the remainder of the frame was all Seahawks. Keiser outscored the Gyrenes 16-4 over the next eight minutes, with layups from Casey Humphrey and Abbey Phibbs the only scores from AMU. The run, which also included the final six points of the quarter, had Keiser up 18-9 after the opening ten minutes of play.
Keiser kept the momentum going into the second quarter. The Seahawks pushed their lead to 13 points with 3:43 to play in the half, 31-18. The final three minutes of the half would prove to be critical for the Gyrenes, who held the Seahawks scoreless while adding six points of their own - field goals from Phibbs, Emily Rapacz, and Grace Field - to cut the Keiser lead to seven, 31-24, heading into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Gyrenes scored 14 points in the first four minutes of the frame to pull even, 38-38. After two scoreless minutes with the game tied, Keiser regained control, going on a 10-3 run to push their lead back to seven before a Casey Humphrey jumper in the final minute allowed the Gyrenes to pull back within five at 48-43 heading into the fourth quarter.
With their season on the line, the Gyrenes came to life in the fourth quarter. The Ave Maria defense held Keiser to just two points in the first nine minutes of the quarter, and the offense did their part in a 14-2 run. The Seahawks got back within three in the final seconds, but were unable to get a shot off in the final seconds, sending the Gyrenes to the league's final four for the second consecutive year.
AMU's starters shouldered the load against Keiser, with the starting five scoring 57 of the team's 59 points. Rapacz, Humphrey, and Field all scored 14 points, while Phibbs added 12. Field's 14 points were coupled with 16 points, marking her 20th double-double of the season. Field joins former All-American Sarah Miller as the only player in school history with 20 double-doubles in a season, and would have an opportunity to tie Miller's school record of 22 if AMU can advance to the conference title game.
The Gyrenes advance to the conference semifinals for the second year in a row, marking the first time since the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons where AMU has won postseason games in back to back seasons. Ave Maria will take on Florida Memorial in the conference semifinals Friday night at 6:00 p.m., where the Gyrenes will seek their first trip to the conference title game in nine years.
