WEST PALM Beach, Fla. — The Ave Maria Women's Basketball team got a hard-fought win Wednesday evening as the Gyrenes toppled the Seahawks 52-46. Ave Maria led for the majority of the second half and fended off multiple Keiser comeback attempts.
The first quarter was pretty even between the two teams, but the Gyrenes ripped off a 7-0 run in the last three minutes of the frame to take a 15-11 lead. Tiffany Le and Ashley Chilson hit back-to-back layups to get the run started and then Elena Barnes drained the first three of the game for the Gyrenes.
Ave Maria fell behind again the second quarter, trailing by four points after a big run from the Seahawks. However, the Gyrenes ended the frame with a lengthy run of their own, outscoring Keiser 9-4 in the final four minutes of the half. Chilson hit the final bucket of the quarter with a layup to put the Gyrenes on top heading into the break.
Keiser took one final lead in the third quarter by knocking down the first basket of the second half, but once again the Gyrenes retook the lead and never gave it back for the rest of the game. Knotted up at 29, Parker Straub swished her first three of the game which started a 10-0 run for the Gyrenes. Barnes closed the run with a three of her own that put AMU up 39-29.
From that moment on, the Gyrenes went into cruise control as they protected their lead. Keiser got within one point with four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter but went 0-for-7 from the field for the rest of the game. The Gyrenes hit two more layups and two free throws to finish the game with the six-point win.
"They play with so much heart," said head coach Jelani Akil after the game. "I told them they were some dogs tonight. From the moment the whistle blew, they just played hard. They wanted it, they were crashing the glass, and they just showed the fight that they had."
Barnes led the team with 19 points, hitting seven shots from the field and two from downtown. Chilson joined her in double figures with 14 points. Both players recorded double-doubles as Barnes led the team with 13 and Chilson had 10. Gabby Beauperthuy also had double figure rebounds with 10. As a team, the Gyrenes won the battle on the glass, outrebounding Keiser 44-40.
With the win, Ave Maria improves to 7-5 overall and 4-2 in conference play. The Gyrenes now move even with Keiser and Florida Memorial in three-way tie for third place in the Sun Conference.
Ave Maria stays on the road for their next game as they travel to Miami Gardens to take on the St. Thomas Bobcats Saturday, January 17. St. Thomas beat Florida Memorial on Wednesday to move to 5-1 in conference play and in sole possession of second place in the standings. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on the Urban Edge Network.
