AVE MARIA, Fla. – The Ave Maria Women's Basketball Team played #25 Southeastern this past Wednesday, losing 67-47.
The opening quarter began with a slow start for both teams. Southeastern was able to find opportunities to attack the basket, as the Fire eventually jumped to an 8-0 lead. The mixture of half court and full court pressure from the Fire limited the Gyrenes' ability to settle into the game. The Gyrenes first basket came from a jump shot from Ashley Chilson, with 5:51 left in the period. Southeastern made another run and finished the quarter ahead 16-4.
A three-pointer from Elena Barnes sparked the Gyrenes in the second quarter. Gabby Beauperthuy led the Gyrene second quarter effort with 5-points, as Ave Maria improved on the offensive end. The Fire continued to find ways to score in transition and in the half court. Despite a competitive quarter, Southeastern led 30-15 at halftime.
The Gyrenes came out of the locker room firing, as AMU started the third frame with a 7-0 run. The run started with Chilson knocking down two free throws. Barnes knocked down her second three of the game and Beauperthuy added a bucket from inside the paint, cutting the Fire lead to just eight points. The sequence caused a Southeastern timeout. The Fire broke the huddle with defensive intensity while capitalizing on the turnovers they had caused. SEU battled back and extended their lead, finishing the third quarter 48-31.
The fourth quarter had back and forth action as the two teams traded runs. Chilson led the Gyrenes with seven points in the quarter. Chilson found her way driving to the basket, with two finishes in traffic, while also connecting from behind the arc. Cortney Smith added a three for the Gyrenes as well. Southeastern finished the quarter with a 19-16 advantage, with a final score of 67-47.
The Gyrenes finished with two double digit scorers, Chilson with 17 and Beauperthuy with 11. Tiffany Le led the rebounding effort for Ave Maria, matching her season high with nine boards.
The loss on Wednesday night moves the Gyrenes' record to an even 7-7 overall and 4-4 in the Sun Conference. At the halfway point of league play, Ave Maria is right in the thick of things in the standings. The Gyrenes are currently in a three-way tie for third place with the Coastal Georgia Mariners and the Florida Memorial Lions. Ave Maria beat the Lions in Miami Gardens but fell to the Mariners in Brunswick. All three teams are just a game behind third place Keiser and a game ahead of seventh place Webber, who would be the first team out if the conference tournament were to start now.
The Gyrenes are set to travel to up to Babson Park as they take on the Webber Warriors Saturday, January 24. Webber won the first contest between the two teams in November and Ave Maria is looking to get the game back. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. after the men's game and will be streamed live on the Urban Edge Network.
