AVE MARIA, Fla. – The Ave Maria Women's Basketball team defeated New College of Florida Wednesday 53-38. The Gyrenes swept the season series against the Mighty Banyans with the win and improve back to .500 in conference play.
The Mighty Banyans opened the scoring immediately off the tip, hitting a three from deep to take an early lead. The three-point shooting did not continue for the Mighty Banyans however, missing their next nine shots from downtown.
The Gyrenes were able to respond as a Gabby Beauperthuy jump shot sparked a 7-0 run. The momentum continued as Elena Barnes connected from deep twice in quarter. Ashley Chilson added a three of her own, while also knocking down free-throws. A late Beauperthuy layup allowed the Gyrenes to take an impressive 20-9 lead into the second quarter.
The offensive surge slowed down for the Gyrenes in the following frame. Both teams were quiet out of the break and New College worked their way back to with only two good baskets between the two in the opening four minutes.
Coming out of a timeout, Juliette Nichols energized the team with a three of her own. A few possessions later, Barnes connected from behind the arc for the third time in the game. The second quarter was topped off with a Raegan Cooper three, giving the Gyrenes a 31-18 lead.
Beauperthuy opened the scoring in the second half for the Gyrenes with back-to-back finishes in the paint. After a Chilson layup, another defensive battle occurred as neither team was able to score for the next few possessions. Chilson ended the drought with a three ball late in the quarter. Courtney Smith got in on the fun with a layup right before the buzzer and the Gyrenes took a 44-28 lead into the final frame.
The Gyrenes took their foot off the gas in the fourth quarter, but New College never got closer than 11 points throughout the frame. Ave Maria got points from the usual suspects in the fourth quarter but also emptied the bench allowing Elle Gunkel to get her first collegiate career points at the end of the game.
When the final horn sounded, Ave Maria walked off with a nice 53-38 win.
"They took care of business. They came out and they played hard," said head coach Jelani Akil following the win. "We've been battling injuries, but we had a next man mentality, and everybody rose to the occasion."
Beauperthuy led the Gyrenes as she finished with 16 points and 11-rebounds, notching her sixth double-double of the season. Two more Gyrenes hit double figures as Chilson added 15 points and Barnes added 10 points.
With the win, Ave Maria improves to 8-8 overall and 5-5 in conference play. The Gyrenes didn't get much help from around the league as both Florida Memorial and Webber won on Wednesday, keeping all three teams tied at 5-5 in conference. The lone help the three teams did get is Coastal Georgia lost to Southeastern, now making it a four-team tie for fourth place. Ave Maria has a three-game lead on Warner in eighth place in the conference, so they are not in danger of being passed, but of the four teams tied at 5-5, only three will make the postseason.
The Gyrenes stay home as Wednesday was the start of a three-game homestand. Ave Maria is back action Saturday, January 31, as they take on the Florida Memorial Lions. The Gyrenes beat Florida Memorial in Miami Gardens to open the 2026 calendar year, and they look to complete season series sweep on Saturday. The game is one of six games on campus at Ave Maria that day. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on the Urban Edge Network.
