AVE MARIA, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team won the first true instant classic played at the new Tom Golisano Field House, earning an overtime victory over the Warriors of Webber International University, 85-78. The Gyrenes forced overtime with a big stop in the final seconds, then shut down the Warriors in the extra session to move to 4-2 in Sun Conference play.

Neither team gained much of a foothold in the first quarter, although the Gyrenes did hold the lead for the majority of the frame. After the Gyrenes jumped out to a 7-2 lead, neither team would lead by more than three points for the remainder of the frame. Webber held leads of 8-7 and 15-13, both of which were quickly answered by the Gyrenes. Down 15-13 with 80 seconds remaining in the quarter, AMU regained the lead thanks to a Gianna Santacroce three and two free throws from Maria Kuhlman, taking an 18-15 lead after ten minutes.

The second quarter was marked by spurts from both teams. In the first 90 seconds of the frame, AMU extended their lead to seven points, at the time their biggest lead. Webber then responded with an 8-1 spurt, tying the score at 23. The Gyrenes had the next surge, scoring ten of the next 12 points to open up a 33-25 lead. Then, it was Webber that finished the first half strong, cutting the Ave Maria lead to 35-33 before the buzzer sounded for halftime. 

Those runs continued into the third quarter, beginning with the visiting Warriors. Webber started the second half on a 9-0 run, taking their largest lead of the night at 42-35. The Gyrenes quickly responded with eight straight points of their own, regaining the lead on a layup from Elena Barnes. From there, the game returned to its tight state from the first quarter, with neither team leading by more than two points. The Warriors and Gyrenes headed to the fourth quarter with the score tied at 52.

Fittingly for a contest with so much back-and-forth, 40 minutes would not be enough between the Gyrenes and Warriors. At the end of the fourth quarter, Lavariah Armstead made a pair of free throws with 18 seconds left, tying the score at 73. The Gyrenes then got a stop at the other end of the floor, and a scoop shot from Casey Humphrey as the buzzer sounded nearly went in before bouncing away and sending the contest to overtime.

Finally, after more than 40 minutes of play, the Gyrenes were able to pull away. AMU allowed just one made field goal in the fourth quarter, and took the lead for good on a Colleen Shanahan layup with three minutes to play. An Emily Rapacz and-one pushed the AMU lead to five, and the Gyrenes were able to ice the contest from there. 

In a game with 14 ties and 22 lead changes, five Gyrenes were in double figures. Lavariah Armstead led the way with 18 points, while Colleen Shanahan followed with 16. Emily Rapacz narrowly missed out on a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds, while AMU's shooters combined for 21 points - eleven for Maria Kuhlman and ten for Gianna Santacroce.

AMU's homestand continues Saturday, as the Gyrenes finish the first half of Sun Conference play by hosting the Mariners of the College of Coastal Georgia. The Gyrenes currently sit 4-2 in conference play, one game behind first place Southeastern heading into Saturday's games, which will mark the halfway point of the SUN season, with each school having faced each other once. AMU's final game in the month of January will tip off at 2:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon at the new Tom Golisano Field House.