MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team fell victim to a disastrous second half, as the Gyrenes were outscored 49-25 in the final 20 minutes in a 73-58 loss to the Florida Memorial University Lions in Miami Gardens. Ave Maria led by nine points at halftime, but shot just 20 percent from the field in the second half, including just one made three-pointer on 14 attempts.

Neither team gained much of a foothold in the first quarter, which ended with the score tied at 15. The focal point for the Gyrenes was Colleen Shanahan, who made three of her four shots, including an and-one, to account for seven of AMU's 15 points. Neither team led by more than four points in the opening frame, and neither team made a field goal in the final 3:55 of the quarter, with the only points a pair of Ave Maria free throws.

Ave Maria surged ahead in the second quarter, taking a 33-24 lead into the halftime break. The Gyrenes ended the first half on a 16-5 run, which included a 7-0 surge in the final two minutes. Mary Smith accounted for five of the seven AMU points to close the half, making a three-pointer at the 1:49 mark and a layup on the final Gyrene possession.

As well as the second quarter went for AMU, the third quarter went for Florida Memorial. The Lions outscored Ave Maria 28-12 in the ten minutes following halftime, holding a 52-45 lead with ten minutes to play. The Lions initially tied the game with 6:38 to play, then took the lead for good on a layup by Kalea Rainey with 5:31 to play. AMU made just three of their 15 shots in the third, missing all five three-pointers.

Any hope for a Gyrene rally was extinguished quickly in the fourth quarter, as Florida Memorial started the quarter on a 7-1 run to push the lead to 13. AMU, who again made three of 15 shots in the frame, never again got closer than ten points as Florida Memorial closed out their fourth straight Sun Conference win. Ave Maria's loss dropped the Gyrenes to 2-2 in league play.

Lavariah Armstead played all 40 minutes for the Gyrenes, and finished with a team-high 15 points. Colleen Shanahan posted a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds, with Armstead and Shanahan accounting for half of Ave Maria's 18 made field goals. The Gyrenes shot 31.6 percent from the field and 21.7 percent from three-point territory in the loss.

The Gyrenes will look to get back above .500 in Sun Conference play on Wednesday, when Ave Maria heads to Lake Wales for a meeting with Warner University. Warner is 1-2 in conference play, defeating Coastal Georgia and losing to Florida Memorial and Keiser. Tipoff between the Gyrenes and Royals is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.