MIAMI GARDENS, Fla.- The Ave Maria University women's basketball team put up a spirited effort on Friday evening, but could not complete the upset in a 74-66 defeat at the hands of the Lions of Florida Memorial University in the semifinal round of the 2025 Sun Conference Tournament. The Gyrenes led by as many as eleven points early in the game, but could not topple the top seed in the tournament to get back to the conference title game.
The semifinal started well for the Gyrenes, who took a pair of nine-point leads in the opening ten minutes of play. Ave Maria opened up a 16-7 lead, then traded three-pointers with the Lions to lead 19-10 with three minutes to play in the quarter. Florida Memorial responded with a 7-0 run to cut the AMU lead to two, but the Gyrenes made six free throws in the final 93 seconds of the frame to take a 25-17 lead into the second quarter.
A three-pointer from Gianna Santacroce on the first possession of the second quarter gave AMU their largest lead at 28-17, but momentum shifted in the direction of the Lions. Florida Memorial outscored the Gyrenes 25-8 for the remainder of the frame, forcing ten Ave Maria turnovers. The Lions used that defensive edge to take the lead, and held a 42-36 advantage entering the halftime break.
After giving up 25 points in the second quarter, the Gyrene defense stiffened in the third. Florida Memorial managed just eight points in the ten minutes after halftime, allowing the Gyrenes to cut the FMU lead to three. The Lions made just three of their 13 field goal attempts in the third, but two makes came in the final 90 seconds, giving the Lions the lead back after a Colleen Shanahan layup had given the Gyrenes a 47-46.
Ave Maria got as close as one point in the fourth quarter, but could never completely close the gap on the Lions. The Gyrenes had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead with less than a minute to play, but committed the first of four turnovers in the final minute to see the season come to an end.
All but six of Ave Maria's 66 points were scored by the decorated senior class, who will leave Ave Maria with their names strewn across the AMU record books. Casey Humphrey scored 18 points on just seven shots, while Vari Armstead added 14 points and six rebounds. Fellow All-Conference selection Colleen Shanahan finished with ten points and eight rebounds.
The Gyrenes' season ended in the final site of the conference tournament for the fourth year in a row. The Gyrenes finish with a 12-17 record, including eight wins against conference opponents.
