AVE MARIA, Fla. — The Ave Maria Women's basketball team got back in the win column Saturday afternoon beating the Webber Warriors 85-46. The Gyrenes controlled the momentum for most of the first three quarters but really dominated the game in the final frame to get the 39-point win.
The first quarter was pretty even between the two squads, with a couple of lead changes between the two teams. The Gyrenes had the second lead change of the two, grabbing a 6-5 lead and never looking back.
The second quarter saw the Gyrenes really take control of the game. Ave Maria came out of the gates with a 6-0 run and later on went on a 12-1 run that increased the Gyrenes' lead to 17 points. Heading into the break, AMU led Webber 45-28.
Both teams were even in the third quarter, witch both teams scoring 16 points. Ten of those 16 points for the Gyrenes came from Colleen Shanahan down low, going 5-for-7 from the field.
Ave Maria kept up the pressure in the fourth quarter and it paid off in dividends as the Gyrenes outscored the Warriors 24-2 in the final ten minutes. Feeling fast and loose from a 17-point lead, the Gyrenes started letting the ball fly from behind the arc, attempting eight three pointers in the quarter and hitting five of them. Gianna Santacroce led the charge from downtown, going 2-for-4, with Mary Smith, Elena Barnes and Talia Pellegrini also connecting from deep. On the other side of the court, Webber went ice cold, only making one of their 15 shot attempts in the quarter. Two points is the fewest allowed in a quarter by the Gyrene defense this season and a 22-point difference in a frame is the second largest of the season for Ave Maria.
With the win, Ave Maria improves to 4-5 in conference play and 8-12 overall. The Gyrenes stay put at fifth place in the conference, but the win does give AMU some breathing room from the teams currently on the outside looking in on the conference tournament.
"Today's win against Webber was a big one for us," said head coach Alex Moorehead following the game. "It's a reminder of how much we can achieve when we stay focused and play as a team. We have had a tough schedule so far and we decided to hit the reset button entering the second cycle of the conference season. Every game moving forward is a new opportunity to continue towards our goals and we're locked in on making the most of it."
Santacroce led the team in scoring, bringing home a career-high 25 points. The senior hit four threes in Saturday's contest, bringing her career total up to 210. Shanahan was the only other shooter for Ave Maria in double figures with 16 points. Shanahan also recorded her ninth double-double of the season with 10 rebounds.
As a team, the Gyrenes recorded 30 assists, which is tied for the third most in a game and the most Ave Maria has ever recorded against a conference opponent. Shanahan also led the way in that stat with five assists.
Ave Maria is on the road for their next game traveling up to Bradenton to take on the New College of Florida Mighty Banyans. New College is new to the Sun Conference this season and Ave Maria welcomed them into the league with a 76-51 win at the Tom Golisano Field House back in November. Now the Gyrenes visit the Mighty Banyans for the first time in program history. Tipoff is set for 2 pm and the game will be streamed live on the Sun Digital Network.
