MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team saw their 2022-23 season come to an end Friday night, as the Gyrenes were eliminated from the 2023 Sun Conference Tournament in the semifinal round, falling 82-71 to the Lions of Florida Memorial University. Ave Maria fell victim to a massive second quarter from the top-seeded Lions, and fell in the SUN semifinals for the second season in a row.
Friday's game had an encouraging start for the Gyrenes, as Grace Field scored the first five points of the game, giving AMU a 5-0 lead two minutes in. Ave Maria never trailed in the opening ten minutes of the contest, and attempted ten free throws in the first quarter. The Gyrenes took a 17-15 lead into the second quarter, a frame that would prove to be decisive in the contest.
Florida Memorial thoroughly dominated the second quarter, outscoring AMU by a 34-14 margin to claim a halftime lead of 49-31. The Lions shot 72.7 percent from the field in the ten minutes before halftime, making 16 of their 22 shots. FMU also took advantage of nine Ave Maria turnovers and led by as many as 21 points before a Casey Humphrey three-pointer on the final shot of the half cut the margin to 18.
Ave Maria outscored FMU 16-12 in the third quarter, but weren't able to make a major dent in the Lions' lead. An Elena Barnes three-pointer with 2:44 remaining got the Gyrenes back within 12, but the Lions responded with four straight points to push the lead back to 16 before two Abbey Phibbs free throws closed the quarter's scoring with the Lions holding a 61-47 lead.
The Gyrenes again outscored Florida Memorial in the fourth quarter, concluding the game with a plus-nine margin in the three quarters apart from the disastrous second. An early three-pointer from Gianna Santacroce got AMU back within 11, but Florida Memorial responded with a 14-2 run to push their lead to 23 points, effectively ending any hopes of a dramatic comeback from the Gyrenes.
Four Gyrenes were in double figures in the season finale, led by the 20th double-double of the season from Grace Field. The sophomore scored 17 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, and became the second player in school history with 20 double-doubles in a single season. Field was joined in double figures by Humphrey (15), Phibbs (13), and Santacroce (11).
AMU's 18 wins in 2022-23 marks the most for the program since the 2018-19 season. The Gyrene program has ascended to the role of perennial contender in The Sun Conference, a role they expect to continue in future seasons. Ave Maria's top eight players in terms of minutes played are all slated to return for 2023-24, which would give the Gyrenes one of the deepest rosters in the conference.
