LAKE WALES, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team continued their strong start in Sun Conference play, earning a 67-57 victory over Warner University Wednesday evening in Lake Wales. The win was the fifth consecutive victory for the Gyrenes, who moved to 2-0 - one of only two teams in the conference to start 2-0 - in league play with their second straight SUN win by ten or more points.
Ave Maria's defense locked up Warner in the early moments of the contest, as it took the Royals more than seven minutes to make their first field goal. AMU jumped out to two seperate eight point leads in the frame, leading 8-0 and 11-3. However, Warner was able to finish the quarter strong, scoring six straight points to cut the Gyrene lead down to 11-9 after one quarter of play.
Warner continued their momentum from the end of the first early in the second, outscoring Ave Maria 9-4 in the first three minutes to take an 18-15 lead. AMU responded with a 9-1 run to push their lead back to five points, keyed by back-to-back field goals from newcomer Madelyn Laird. However, it was Warner that finished the half strong, as a Jasmine Edwards layup with under a minute to play gave the Royals a 28-26 lead at the break.
The third quarter would prove to be the difference in the contest, as the Gyrenes outscored Warner 25-14 to take control of the game. After Warner scored first to extend their lead to 30-26, AMU scored seven straight points, with a Mary Smith three-pointer giving the Gyrenes a 33-30 lead they would never relinquish. Ave Maria led by as many as ten points in the third, and held a nine-point lead, 51-42, heading to the fourth.
In the fourth quarter, Warner got as close as five points, 51-46, with 8:09 to go, but got no closer to the Gyrenes. The Gyrenes put the game away late, going on an 8-1 run after Warner had gotten within six to push the lead to 13 points. Maria Kuhlman played a key role in ensuring AMU's victory, scoring five of the eight points in the clinching run.
Kuhlman continued to show why she is one of the top players in the Sun Conference, scoring a game-high 21 points for the Gyrenes. The graduate student, who currently ranks first in the SUN and in the top 20 in the nation in three-point percentage, made five of seven three-point attempts to account for 15 of her 21 points. Elsewhere, Gianna Santacroce made a major impact for the Gyrenes, pulling down eight rebounds and dishing out five assists.
One of two undefeated teams in The Sun Conference along with St. Thomas, Ave Maria will look to move to 3-0 in league play Saturday afternoon. AMU's second road opponent of the week will be the Keiser Seahawks, with AMU taking the floor in West Palm Beach at 2 p.m. Saturday, the opening game of a men's and women's doubleheader.
