AVE MARIA, Fla. — The Ave Maria Women's Basketball team got back into the win column Monday afternoon beating the Michigan Dearborn Wolverines 94-65. It is the third time this season the Gyrenes have scored 90 or more points in a game.
The first quarter was fairly even between the Gyrenes and Wolverines, with eight lead changes between the two teams. Colleen Shanahan led the team in scoring in the first frame with 12 points. That ties Lavariah Armstead's 12-point first quarter against Huntington for the most points in a frame.
Emily Rapacz had the shot of the game at the end of the quarter, hitting a shot a buzzer beater three from half court. Rapacz's heave put the Gyrenes back on top 22-20 at the end of the first and gave them a lead they would never give up for the rest of the game.
Ave Maria turned it on in the second quarter, outscoring the Wolverines 29-14. The Gyrenes went on a 16-2 run in the middle of the frame to grow their lead from five points to 17. Armstead and Casey Humprey led the run, each with seven points.
At the break, Ave Maria took a 51-34 lead into the half.
Michigan Dearborn tried to comeback in the third quarter and actually outscored the Gyrenes in the frame, but the Wolverines could only make up three points.
In the fourth quarter, the Gyrenes flexed their muscles again, outscoring UM-Dearborn 24-9. The Wolverines went 3-for-15 from the field while the Gyrenes went 10-for-19 on the other side of the court. Ave Maria had another 16-2 run in the fourth to build up a 23 point lead. The Gyrenes hit nine more points before the final buzzer to walk off with a 94-65 win.
"I think we did an exceptional job," said head coach Alex Moorehead after the game. "We had some goals that we met for the most part and you obviously have to highlight [Shanahan] and [Armstead]. Just their impact on both sides of the floor. So, [Shanahan] with the double-double and [Armstead] with a near triple-double. And then, we had some really talented individuals come off the bench. Highlight [Humprey] and her 29 minutes with five assists and no turnovers. So extremely proud and excited to get back in the win column."
Shanahan led the team with a career-high 28 points, tied for the eighth most in a game in program history. The senior from Orlando hit 13 baskets to get most of her points, which is tied for the second most in program history, matching Hall of Famer Sarah Miller's performance against Trinity (Fla.) in 2018. Shanahan also led the team with 10 rebounds, recording her third double-double of the season and second in a row.
Just behind her was Armstead with a career-high 27 points, which is tied for the 11
th most in a game in program history. Armstead hit 11 shots from the field, tied for fifth most in school history. The senior from Fayetteville, North Carolina, also had eight rebounds and six assists.
The two combined for 55 points, which was 59% of Ave Maria's points on Monday. It is the first time since January 5, 2023, that the Gyrenes had two players score 20 or more points in a game.
Humphrey was the other Gyrene in double-digits with 11 points.
With the win, Ave Maria improves to 6-7 and snaps a five-game losing streak.
The Gyrenes play one more time in 2024, taking on the Mobile Rams in their final non-conference game of the season on New Year's Eve. It will be the third ever meeting between Ave Maria and Mobile and first since 2021. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on the Sun Digital Network.
