AVE MARIA, Fla. — The Ave Maria Women's Basketball team won their second game in a row, taking down the Coastal Georgia Mariners 70-59. The Gyrenes led for a majority of the game, grabbing the advantage towards the end of the first quarter and never letting go.
The first quarter was even between the two teams, with each squad getting an early lead. Coastal Georgia took their final lead with three and a half minutes left to play in the quarter, going up 12-10. Katie Ambrose hit two free throws shortly after that to tie the game once again. A minute later, a layup from Colleen Shanahan gave the Gyrenes a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the game. Ave Maria closed the quarter strong was up 18-14 after one frame.
Ave Maria outscored Coastal Georgia 16-10 in the second quarter, building up a 10-point lead going into halftime. The Gyrenes held the Mariners to just three made shots from the field in the second. Ave Maria had seven good buckets on the other end of the court, two of which were from downtown.
Coastal Georgia edged out the Gyrenes in the third quarter by one-point, but Ave Maria was still in control of the game by nine points. The Mariners took seven more shots than the Gyrenes did in the quarter, but both teams were equal with six made buckets.
The Mariners tried to come back in the fourth quarter, putting up their second highest scoring quarter in conference play this season with 20 points. However, the Gyrenes kept pace with Coastal Georgia and even outscored them with 22 fourth quarter points. The closest Coastal Georgia got was seven points in the early part of the frame, to which Ave Maria responded with an 11-1 run of their own to get up 61-44.
The Gyrenes closed the game strong and walked off the floor with a 70-59 victory.
"We demonstrated a concerted effort and determination on both ends of the floor," said head coach Alex Moorehead after the game. "We emphasized the last two days a supportive defensive attack and it translated to a balanced offensive day where everyone got involved."
Shanahan led the team with 14 points. Four other players hit double figures on Saturday against the Mariners with Gianna Santacroce at 11 and Lavariah Armstead, Ella Thompson and Casey Humphrey all at 10. It is the first time this season the Gyrenes have had five players hit double digits.
Emily Rapacz led the team with seven rebounds.
With the win, Ave Maria improves to 3-2 and 2-1 in conference play.
"This win is what we need to inspire us to get some momentum going into a tough December. I'm proud of the staff and the players, it was a testament to their hard work and dedication so far," said Moorehead.
The Gyrenes have one more game in November before their December gauntlet begins, hosting the Florida National Conquistadors Tuesday, November 26. Tipoff is set for 5 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on the Sun Digital Network.
