AVE MARIA, Fla. — The Ave Maria Women's Basketball dropped their first of seven straight home games to close out the calendar year, falling to number 11 St. Francis Cougars 70-49. The Cougars hit 14 three pointers in the game, the most allowed by the Gyrenes this season.
St. Francis led for most of the game, but there was a few times in the first quarter when Ave Maria found themselves on top. The Cougars hit a three to start the game, but that was followed by back-to-back field goals from the Gyrenes to put them up 4-3. The two teams exchanged two-point baskets to keep the Gyrenes in front 6-5, but that ended up being their last lead of the game.
The Cougars hit six three's in the first quarter to race out to a 22-13 lead. USF added three more in the second quarter to finish the first half with nine threes. That was already the second-most allowed threes in a game by AMU this season.
On the other side of the court, the Gyrenes went 3-for-4 from behind the arc, but just couldn't keep up with the amount of trifectas from the Cougars. At the break, USF led 39-23.
The third quarter was the lone frame the Gyrenes won in the Sunday matinee, outscoring the Cougars 12-11. The Gyrene defense held strong and forced USF to go 1-for-6 from downtown. Ave Maria hit one three as well and went 5-for-6 from the charity stripe.
Unfortunately, the Gyrenes could not capitalize on the momentum in the fourth quarter as St. Francis outscored Ave Maria 20-14 in the final frame. The Cougars hit four more threes to end the game with 14, the most allowed by AMU this season. The previous high was 10 by New College of Florida. On the Gyrene side of the court, Ave Maria continued to shoot well from the free throw line, going 8-for-10 in the quarter. On the game, AMU went 13-for-18.
The loss drops Ave Maria to 5-3 on the season and ends a four-game winning streak. It is the first time this season the Gyrenes have been held to under 50 points.
Ella Thompson led the team with 11 points, the fifth straight game she has hit double digits. She was the only Gyrene to hit double-figures. Gianna Santacroce led the team with five rebounds.
The Gyrenes get a day off before returning to the court for three straight days of basketball. Tuesday, Ave Maria will host the Goshen Maple Leafs, also out of the Crossroads League along with St. Francis. The Leafs are 4-5 on the season and will be starting a Florida road trip against Ave Maria that also includes New College. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m.
There is more Women's Basketball at the Tom Golisano Field House before the Tuesday game as the Gyrenes open up their home to St. Francis and New College for a neutral site game. Tipoff for that game is Monday at 2 p.m. Both games will be streamed live on the Sun Digital Network.
