AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team concluded the non-conference portion of its schedule on Friday, claiming a 69-62 victory over the University of Fort Lauderdale at Donahue Gym. The score was not as close as the final score suggests, with Ave Maria leading by 14 points with ten seconds left before the Eagles scored seven points in a row with the game well out of reach.
Fort Lauderdale had the lead early on, taking a 15-12 lead over the Gyrenes after the opening ten minutes. The first five minutes of the game belonged to Ave Maria, who had a 10-3 lead just over five minutes into the game. From there, the Eagles concluded the quarter on a 12-2 run, holding a three-point lead over the hosts heading into the second quarter.
The second quarter was the difference in the game, as Ave Maria went on a 20-4 run before the halftime break. The Gyrenes dominated around the basket, pulling down ten offensive rebounds in the second. Grace Field was the standout in the second quarter, scoring eleven of Ave Maria's 20 points and grabbing nine rebounds. The run helped the Gyrenes take a 32-19 lead into the halftime break.
In the second half, the Gyrenes did not allow Fort Lauderdale to get back within single digits until the final moments of the game. Ave Maria led by as many as 24 points in the third quarter, which proved to be more than enough for the home team. UFTL claimed a 26-15 edge in the fourth quarter, getting back to within seven by the end of the game despite none of AMU's starters playing in the second half.
Ave Maria's depth was on display in the victory, with all 13 dressed players seeing action. Ten of the 13 players played 12 or more minutes, with many of the players on the end of the AMU bench seeing time. All eight players that came off the bench scored, and five of the Gyrenes' top scorers were not among the team's starting five. AMU was especially dominant on the glass, outscoring Fort Lauderdale 23-5 in second chance points thanks to 16 offensive rebounds.
Mckenzi Lyons was Ave Maria's leading scorer, pacing a group of three Gyrenes in double figures. Grace Field needed just 12 minutes on the floor to post another double-double, grabbing eleven rebounds to go with her eleven points. The final Gyrene in double figures was Elena Barnes, who made four of her five field goal attempts and finished the contest with ten points.
The Gyrenes head into the final two weeks of the season in fourth place in The Sun Conference, which would set AMU up with a home conference tournament game for the first time in four years. The schedule ahead is challenging, with the final four opponents currently sitting in first, third, fifth, and sixth places. The first of these opponents is first place Florida Memorial on Thursday, with tipoff scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Donahue Gym.
