AVE MARIA, Fla. — For the first time in a year, the Ave Maria Women's Basketball team scored 90 points in their non-conference win over the Florida National, beating the Conquistadors 90-51. Thirteen different Gyrenes put points on the scoreboard, the second-most in a game this season.
After two lead changes to start the game, Ave Maria took a 6-5 lead midway through the first quarter with a layup from Lavariah Armstead. That was the last lead change of the game as the Gyrenes led for final 36 minutes and 48 seconds of the game. AMU closed the first quarter with an 11-2 run, punctuated with a three-pointer from Raegan Cooper.
The second quarter was even more dominant with the Gyrenes outscoring the Conquistadors 23-9 in the frame. Ave Maria started the quarter with 11 straight points, again ending with a three pointer, this time from Armstead. Heading into the break, the Gyrenes led 46-21.
The third quarter was the highest scoring quarter for Ave Maria with the Gyrenes putting up 28 points to Florida National's 14. The Gyrenes had yet another double digit run in the frame, going on a 10-0 streak in just under two minutes.
Heading into the fourth quarter the Gyrenes had a 39 point lead and put in some bench players to get some real game experience. Of the 16 points scored in the quarter, seven of them were from Ashley Chilson.
Florida National matched the Gyrenes in the fourth for the first time in the game, also putting up 16. When the final buzzer sounded, Ave Maria walked off the court with their biggest win of the season.
It is the first time the Gyrenes have scored 90 since November 15, 2023, when they beat Fort Lauderdale 90-49.
As a team, the Gyrenes shot 49.3 percent from the floor, their best shooting percentage of the season.
Ella Thompson led the team in scoring with 16 points. Thompson also led the team with seven rebounds. Gianna Santacroce and Colleen Shanahan also hit double figures, each with 11 points.
With the win, Ave Maria improves to 4-2 on the season.
The Gyrenes get a nice thanksgiving break before returning to the court Friday, December 6, against the same Florida National team. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on the Sun Digital Network.
